


Twice Bitten, Thrice Shy

by crimandclove



Series: The Story of Us [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, M/M, Misunderstandings, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-03 06:17:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 47,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1734161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimandclove/pseuds/crimandclove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles has a really crappy sixth grade year, which leaves him with a dead mother and a so called 'best friend' who is hanging out with people who hate him. This leads him on a journey where he goes from gangly, annoying eleven year old without a mother and with a babysitter to a high schooler who is already jaded enough. </p><p>But did he misinterpret what happened one day in middle school? Does he really hate Derek Hale for things that never happened?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has come from somewhere, seeing as I have become blocked on my last two chapters of my other story and have nowhere to go! Hopefully this will be happier and not as long. I hope you all like it!
> 
> Love and light!!

The sixth grade was the worst year of Stiles Stilinski’s life. His mother had been diagnosed with dementia in October and was gone by January. This meant he spent two weeks at home, staring at the door, waiting for his father to wheel her back in from the hospital. He waited for the scent of her lavender perfume to wash over him, the sound of her laugh to fill the room.

By the end of the two weeks he had picked himself up. His father was working again and he couldn’t sit around the house bored all day. His brain was big but he couldn’t entertain himself forever. He had read all of the books in his house and since he had no one to drive him to the library, he had resigned himself to going to the one at school. 

Plus he missed his best friend. In the fourth grade his old best friend, Jackson Whittemore, had decided that Stiles was gross and no one should be friends with him. This had come as a bit of a shock for Stiles, who had already bought that butt face a Power Rangers sleeping bag, but kept it for himself and had waited to cry until he got home. Around this time, his mom and his dad had decided they wanted to go on dates and looked around to hire a babysitter that was young enough to play with Stiles, but old enough to be able to discipline him.

They settled on Laura Hale, the daughter of the mayor and all around smart girl. She was in the eighth grade and had plenty of babysitting skills because she had a younger brother and sister. Her sister went to the other elementary school and her brother was in sixth grade, so they were old enough to look out for each other. Stiles had been sold when Laura pulled out a DVD copy of X:Men and put her finger to her lips. “Only you and I need to know, right?” Stiles had nodded frantically.

Laura had been babysitting Stiles for about two weeks when her phone rang one evening. “Hi Mom … Is she alright? … Good, I’m glad! … No I can’t leave, Deputy Stilinski is still out for another two hours … Well just take Derek with you! … Fine, I’ll call the Deputy.” Laura hung up the phone and turned to Stiles. “Do you think your dad would mind if my brother hung out with us? My sister broke her arm and my Uncle Peter is a two hour drive away.”

Stiles shrugged. His father had verbally done the same thing and within fifteen minutes, there was a beanpole of a kid with a tuft of black hair and braces at the front door. Derek Hale, age twelve, stared at Stiles for a moment before pushing past him into the house. Derek had a Star Wars shirt on.

The rest was fate.

Or so Stiles thought. Stiles had ended up at the same middle school Derek went to when he hit sixth grade and he thought it was going to be the best. Derek had told him the night before that things were going to be different. First off, you could sit wherever you wanted for lunch. This meant that Stiles and Derek could eat lunch together! But, Derek had explained, it couldn’t be every day. They sat down and decided that Mondays and Wednesdays they would eat in the far corner of the cafeteria. Tuesdays and Thursdays Derek had B lunch, while Stiles had A lunch. And Fridays were for sports practices during lunch. Now braces-less and a bit popular, Derek had things to do with his time. Sometimes Derek had to skip lunch because of lunch detention or Coach needing him, but it was always told ahead of time. They were out-of-school friends. It was okay – better than not having a friend.

After Stiles’ mom had died, all of the Hales had been really supportive. Laura, Derek or Cora came over after school every day with homework and snacks for Stiles. The shoulders to cry on, the people to talk to. But the last couple of days it had either been Laura or Cora – something about baseball tryouts.

But it was Monday and Stiles hefted his bag onto his shoulder. He and Derek had lockers in different hallways so they didn’t see each other until lunch. 

The day dragged on and during third period his teacher Mrs. Plimpton had asked him to show the new kid around. Scott was about his size with a giant zit on his forehead. He laughed a little too loud and wheezed when Matt got lunch detention for trying to touch Lydia’s leg. This had prompted the teacher to ask Stiles to give Scott a tour – neither of them had any idea about what the material on the pop quiz was and it would be taking up the second half of the period. Derek always encouraged Stiles to make new friends, to try and find someone for them to each lunch with that wasn’t each other. Stiles was touched.

This had let Stiles get to the lunch room a whole six minutes early. He and Derek always made it a competition – who could get to the table first – and for the first time this semester Stiles won. He smiled to himself as he unpacked his lunch box. Stiles had brought some leftover casserole and watched Scott as he hovered awkwardly in the lunch line. He had assured Scott that Derek wouldn’t mind if Scott sat with them. Once the bell rang, Scott jumped through the line and set his tray down triumphantly in front of Stiles. “So quick. Man this pizza looks actually edible. The last place I lived, they were all about sustainable food…”

Derek didn’t show up. He didn’t slide into the seat next to Stiles three minutes after the bell rang, laughing in his face and tearing the cookies his sisters made apart in front of Stiles’ face. He wasn’t laughing about that comic Stiles had lent him last Monday – coincidentally the last time Stiles saw him – or about the nasty amounts of Axe coming from the boys bathroom on the eighth grade hall.

Scott saved him from his misery by asking Stiles to show him to his next class. They got rid of their trash, packed up their bags and Stiles scanned the crowd. He found Derek sitting at the jock table, laughing and clapping Jackson Whittemore on the back about something he said, his other hand gripping Katie Argent’s.

So that was that. Derek had probably seen Scott, thought ‘Great, Stiles has a friend’, and had gone on to bigger and better things.

\---

Unluckily, Derek and Stiles’ buses were parked right next to each other. Sometimes Derek didn’t ride the bus – practice or Laura – but today was just the right side of cold for practice to get cancelled. Laura was most likely rehearsing for the orchestra recital the high school had next week. 

Which left Stiles awkwardly sprinting past Derek on the way to his bus. He heard Derek call out for him but he just kept pushing on – if this was a friendship breakup, Stiles was going to be the cool one about it. Derek, however, did not seem to get this. He latched onto Stiles’ bookbag.

“Hey, Stiles, what –“

“Quit it, Derek. I got the message loud and clear.” Derek looked at him, raised an eyebrow, but Stiles continued on. “You’re not my friend anymore. I got it. You don’t have to tell me to my face.”

“What?” Derek’s other eyebrow joined its pair.

“I’m not an idiot, Derek. I saw you in the cafeteria today. You probably saw me and Scott and realized you were finally free of me, the dweeb your sister babysits every so often. I saw you with Katie Argent and Jackson at lunch.” Stiles breathed in heavily. “You could have just, you know, told me over the phone instead of lying about having baseball tryouts. I would have understood. We’re ‘out of school’ friends? That was such a line. I’m sorry I’ve been bothering you.”

A horn honked and Stiles saw his bus driver looking at him with a mixture of annoyance and pity. “I’ve gotta go.”

“Stiles, wait, that’s not what –“ Derek fumbled.

“Actions speak louder than words, Derek.” Stiles countered and pushed at Derek’s hand. Derek let him go and he scrambled onto the bus. Looking around he saw a pair of familiar brown eyes. He marched with purpose, his face red, and sat down next to Scott. “Hey.”

“Hey! I didn’t know this was your bus. My mom dropped me off this morning.” Scott enthused.

Stiles plastered a smile on his face. “It’s so cool that this is your route too! Maybe we live near each other.”

Scott started to talk again as Stiles sank into the seat and rested his head on the bookbag now in his lap.

\---

By the time dinner has rolled around Derek has called the house three times, leaving a voicemail each time. The first one is a normal voicemail - ‘Hey Stiles, it’s me, Derek, call me back when you get a chance – the second one, a little annoyed, - ‘Stiles, seriously, I know you’re home and can pick up the phone, please call me back – and the third one is just angry – ‘Stiles, you weren’t home when Laura dropped by. Please call me or her back. Or call her back, she has a question for your dad’. However, Stiles and Scott had gotten off at the same stop, which led to Stiles going over to Scott’s to call his dad and ask to stay until 6, when he got off shift, and then starting to study for the quiz Mrs. Plimpton had told them would be during lunch on Wednesday. 

So Stiles had heard none of the voicemails when he and his dad shuffled home. In fact, it was the Deputy who listened to them. While they were eating the subs they had picked up on the way home, the Deputy wriggled the question in. 

“So, why did Derek call the house three times?” John asked softly, popping a green pepper in his mouth.

Stiles immediately sat his sandwich down and turned red. “Daddy … Daddy I don’t want to talk about it.”

John had never seen his son turn that exact shade of red before. He had always wondered if Derek was interested in Stiles in the way most people are interested in someone, but had always been hesitant to ask. “Stiles, you know that boy will call asking for you again. If I don’t have an explanation, I can’t help you.”

“Derek and I aren’t friends anymore, Dad.” Stiles said, his eyes watering up. 

“That was quick. Are you sure this isn’t just a fight?” The Deputy asked, his hand going for Stiles’ shoulder.

Stiles brushed him off. “Yes, Dad, I’m sure. He hasn’t been over in a week and he told Laura it was baseball tryouts but today he skipped sitting at lunch with me and instead I found him laughing with Jackson. He knows that Jackson is really mean and hates me. Why would Derek sit with him? And on top of all that he was holding hands with Katie Argent. The same girl who spent sixth and seventh grade teasing Derek about his braces and his hair. He said we were ‘out of school’ friends but I realized that’s just a code for ‘you’re too nerdy for me to be around you at school, let’s just talk when I’m dragged over to your house by my older sister when she needs someone to distract you’. I should have known better. Lucky I had Scott, otherwise I would have just sat alone at lunch like I every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.” By this point the tears that had threatened to pour since lunchtime were now out in full force, on Stiles’ cheeks, his shirt, the rim of his plate.

His dad stood up and pulled him into a full body hug. “I’m sorry this happened, Stiles. I always thought Derek was a good kid, but if he’s hanging out with Jackson, I can see how you think he’s not much of a friend.” 

Stiles nodded and sobbed into his father’s shirt. “I told him everything and I just saw him there, sitting and laughing. They were probably laughing at me.” Derek had seen him be the biggest dork and now all those stories about sticking candy corn up his nose and being able to burp upside down would be around the school.

Five minutes later, Stiles pushed away from his father and sat back down to eat. John went for the phone and dialed the familiar number to the Hale house.

The call was picked up on the first ring, _“Stiles?”_ Derek’s tinny voice came through the receiver. _“Stiles, I don’t know what happened to make you so upset, I’m sorry.”_

“Derek, son, this is Mr. John. I was hoping to speak to Laura? You said she needed to speak to me.” John cradled the phone between his neck and his shoulder as he pulled a juice box out of the fridge and put it in front of Stiles. Stiles loved juice boxes but rarely owned up to it, so he only drank them when upset or right after school on days when he had a test.

The past two weeks he had gone through five cases of juice boxes.

 _“Mr. John, it’s me.”_ Laura said into the phone. _“Sorry about Derek, he’s being a little weirdo tonight. He already called your house like, three times.”_

“Yes he did. Stiles was over at his new friend’s house. But what did you want to say? Derek’s last voicemail said you needed to talk to me about something.” Stiles’ father asked, ruffling Stiles’ head.

 _“Oh yeah, I got offered a job at a summer camp for my art skills and I was wondering if I would be sitting with Stiles a lot this summer? It’s a pretty intensive camp but if I knew I had to be over, I could make a schedule around it.”_ Laura said excitedly.

“Actually, Laura, I was thinking it is about time Stiles got used to being home alone. I probably won’t be needing your services very much after May.” Stiles had always complained about ‘wanting to be trusted more’ and ‘not needing a sitter’, and this whole Derek fiasco was a way to subtly let Laura go.

 _“Are you sure? I mean, I love sitting with Stiles, I would probably do it for a quarter of the money.”_ Laura sounded confused.

“Yes, I’m pretty sure. Stiles’ new friend lives pretty close and he and his mother discussed the possibility of Stiles just going to their house instead of having an all-night sitter. But I will be needing you for Friday night.”

 _“Okay, sir, sounds good!”_ Laura chirped into the phone.

“And Laura? Please don’t bring Derek over to our house anymore. He’s upset Stiles and I would rather Stiles have the house as a safe place for himself right now.” John added. Stiles just smiled up at his father. “Have a good night.” John hung up the phone.

\---

The next couple of days were strange for Stiles. Luckily Scott transferred into the last period Stiles had and so they both ate lunch together Tuesday and ran to the bus, Stiles ignoring Derek’s shouts. Wednesday they stayed behind and took the quiz they had spent all night before studying for and ate lunch inside Mrs. Plimpton’s room. Thursday Scott’s mom was off and so she volunteered to drive them home, leaving them on the opposite side of campus. Scott didn’t ask about the jumpiness Stiles had acquired during the day on Friday, just messed around with him and showed him how to make letters with his fingers.

Friday finally came around and Stiles was busy playing Mario-Kart with Scott on his Gamecube when Laura finally arrived at 5:30. Scott was staying until 6; his grandmother had flown in and his mom had gone to pick her up. 

“Who’s this cutie?” Laura asked from the doorway, kicking off her shoes.

Stiles paused the game as Scott turned around to greet her. “Hi. I’m Scott! I’m eleven and I live down the street. My favorite color is green and I’m asthmatic.”

“Hi, I’m Laura.” She said, offering her hand. Scott shook it firmly and turned back to the game.

“Hi Laura,” Stiles said. Laura was the best babysitter he had ever had and he was sad she was not going to be sitting for him anymore. She could speak Spanish, knew how to hide even the remnants of pizza, and had started a compost pile in their backyard.

“Hi Stiles. Is Scott staying for dinner?” She asked, rubbing her hand over his hair.

“Nope he has to go home so we’re going to finish our game now, okay?” Stiles replied. He was a little worried he was going to get the third degree from Laura. 

Laura nodded and left them alone, picking up her phone to call for pizza.

\---

The pizza came the same time Scott’s mom did, and they said their goodbyes as Laura paid the pizza man. Scott wasn’t going to be able to play for the next couple of days, but it was better knowing that he was only a few houses down if something really bad happened. Stiles waved to his grandmother in the front seat of their car.

Stiles knew something was up when Laura set down plates on the dining room table instead of pulling out a DVD from her backpack. Stiles sighed and grabbed a juice box for him and Laura’s water glass, setting the table. 

She waited until Stiles stuffed a whole mozzarella stick in his mouth to ask her questions. “So, why aren’t you talking to Derek?”

Stiles coughed a little bit at the question. It wasn’t like that, what was Derek telling his family? “S’not like that.”

“What?” Laura asked, glint in her eye.

Stiles swallowed. “It’s not like that. He’s the one who dumped me. I was lucky Scott was in the class before mine or I would have had to eat lunch alone all week now.”

“And you came to this conclusion?” Laura led on.

“Well he skipped a whole week of coming over because of ‘baseball tryouts’. You don’t have baseball tryouts on Saturdays and Sundays if you have them the whole week. Then he skips lunch with me on Monday to sit with Katie Argent and Jackson.” Laura reached out her hand and patted Stiles’. She knew everything about Jackson being awful too. She had been the first person to get Stiles to tell the whole story – about how Lydia had held his hand for class one day and Jackson suddenly decided his best friend since he was four was the worst and then proceeding to tell everyone in class embarrassing stuff about Stiles. Like that he slept with a nightlight on and he had a stuffed pig that slept with him. It had been mortifying.

“I’m sure he just thought you weren’t going to be there.” Laura replied.

“He didn’t even look though Laura. Friends look for other friends. I got to lunch super early so I know he wasn’t looking for me. I got out of class so I could finally beat him there. Instead I see him laughing at something Jackson said and clapping him on the back like they’re best buddies. Derek’s never even given me a hug, Laura. And dating Katie Argent, for real? She made fun of him for two whole years. You remember the name calling, the mean stuff she did. Now he acts like it’s no big deal.” Stiles sighed.

“Sometimes girls do that to boys they like.” Laura commented, the corners of her lips pulling down. 

“But you didn’t see her in August or September, right before he got them off! She was awful, Laura. But he doesn’t care about me, so I shouldn’t care about him. What kind of friend leaves his supposed ‘best friend’ alone when his mom dies to hang out with a mean girl and a guy his best friend hates? Not a real one.” Stiles took a bite of his pizza to hold back whatever else would come out.

“You’ll see. Besides, I thought you got asked to the Valentine’s Dance.” Laura said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“By who?” Stiles answered, mouth full. “You have to be invited by an eighth grader and the only one I know is taking Katie Argent and is mean.” Stiles bit into his pizza again as Laura looked at him strangely. “What, like he hasn’t been talking about it all week? She was screaming on Tuesday when she found the card in her locker. I heard her all the way down the hall.” Stiles looked at Laura, his eyes wide. “Can we stop talking about Derek? I know he was only here because you made him come ‘cos sometimes I annoy you. It’s cool, Laura, I understand. We’re just ‘out of school’ friends, just like me and Derek.”

Stiles stood up from the table and bolted to his room, tears streaming down his face. “Stiles!” Laura called after him but he had already slammed the door and locked it, sobbing big crocodile tears into his t-shirt arm.

He heard her get on the phone and bits and pieces of her conversation, “No, Mom, I do need to talk to him … No, apparently he’s been lying about where he’s been after school … Yeah, did you know he has a girlfriend now ………. I thought so too but …. No, Stiles doesn’t want him over here. I don’t want him over here. He should be grounded for the bad stuff he’s done this week …” Stiles wanted to call out, say not to ground Derek for his unusual behavior, but then it would mean being nice to Derek. He wanted Derek to suffer. “No, Mom, he was hanging out with that Whittemore kid at lunch, the one that badmouths Stiles at school … I know I can’t fight Stiles’ battles for him … Just put Derek on the phone … He isn’t over here, Mom, he didn’t come with me just like Mr. Stilinski asked.”

Stiles fell asleep on the floor, listening to Laura argue over the phone. 

\----

Stiles woke up to knocking on his door. He looked at the clock and he had been asleep for around an hour. “What?” He asked, his voice scratchy and weak.

“You were right about Derek. He’s been lying about where he’s been to Mom. They found him outside In’N’Out with Jackson Whittemore. He’s going to be punished until school ends for that and his bad behavior towards you.”

Stiles sighed and unlocked the door. He backed away from it as Laura opened it and sat on the floor in front of him. “You don’t have to punish him for being mean to me. I’m just the kid you babysit.”

“No, Stiles, you’re like my other little brother. Derek doesn’t know this, but he pretty much has free reign to do whatever he wants if he makes curfew and doesn’t lie. Not lying is a big rule in our house and the fact he lied about not coming over and hanging out with you is a big no-no. What did you even do all Saturday?” Laura asked, her hands in her lap.

That explains why he was alone. “I finished all my homework, cleaned my room.” It also explains why his dad was surprised to see him alone. “He’s probably hanging out with Jackson because he’s good at baseball or something. Really, Laura, it doesn’t matter.”

“It does though, Stiles. It does. You matter a lot more than some boy who called you a baby in the fourth grade. It wouldn’t surprise me if they made Derek quit baseball.” Laura said softly.

“No, don’t do that! That’ll make it worse. Then all the baseball kids will bully me. They’ve already seen Derek calling after me in the bus lot. Probably think I owe him my lunch money or something. Laura, just get Derek to understand that he was wrong, he doesn’t have to be my friend and to leave me alone. He knows all sorts of weird stuff about me and I already get made fun of enough. It’s only a couple months more til he goes to high school anyway.” Stiles said, staring at the floor.

“Are you sure?” Stiles nodded. “Okay, well how about I take you for pancakes tomorrow for being such a nice person, even to people that are mean to you?” Stiles lit up and nodded. He wasn’t allowed pancakes very often – his ADHD meds weren’t strong enough to hold the sugar high off. “You and me and maybe we’ll invite Cora?” Cora had ended up at a fancy private middle school for languages. She was okay most of the time. Stiles nodded. “Awesome. I brought over some movies tonight to watch though – do you want to watch _Star Wars_ or start Season Two of _Grey’s Anatomy_?” Laura had accidentally exposed Stiles to the world of Meredith Grey during her last breakup?

Stiles’ heart sighed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to watch _Star Wars_ for a while without being inexplicably mad at everything about the movie and Derek. “Take me to my leader, Cristina Yang.”

Laura laughed. 

\---

The next morning when Laura pulled up to her house, Cora came sprinting out of the front door, her face alight in glee. “Derek’s in so much trouble!” She exclaimed in the back seat. 

Stiles could feel the eyes from the second story room glaring at him. “Can we go now?”

Laura sped off, shouting at Cora to buckle her seatbelt.

\---

On Monday the rumor around school was that Derek Hale snuck out without his parents’ permission and had made it past first base with Katie Argent in the In’N’Out parking lot. Stiles suggested that he and Scott move tables since it was getting nice outside but not nice enough to set off Scott’s asthma. Stiles saw Derek staring at the empty table from his empty place in the courtyard. You don’t wanna be my friend, Stiles thought as he bit into his ham sandwich, you don’t even have to see me.

\---

The day before the Valentine’s Dance, Stiles hears Katie Argent screaming at Derek as he breaks up with her in the seventh grade hallway. He manages to sneak by and ends up seeing the card in Derek’s hand, the letter _S_ on the front in someone else’s handwriting. 

\---

Derek had stopped trying to talk to him, but he saw Derek move back to the empty table on Mondays and Wednesdays. Stiles moved him and Scott to a table behind a tree.

\---

The eighth graders graduated with the usual fanfare, screaming and laughing and overall merriment going on. Stiles heard about it from Laura, who continued to call and come over, sometimes with Cora, all of the time. She even took a piece of cake and brought it to Stiles, who shoved it in his mouth as he exclaimed, “Me and Scott are going to sleep away camp!” He could have sworn Laura’s face changed. 

It had been his and Derek’s plan – Derek almost old enough to age out if he didn’t go this year – but since it had fallen through, Stiles had found a new camp and had gotten both his dad and Scott’s mom to fund their adventure. 

“Which one?” Cora asked. 

“You’ll find out when you get a post card!” Stiles enthused. “Then I expect you to write me back. All fun all the time.”

\---

And so it was as if Derek Hale and Stiles Stilinski had never been friends. Laura and Cora were both great friends and wrote him back; Miss Talia even sent him a care package with fresh cookies, but it was as if the last two years of friendship hadn’t existed. 

\---

The last two years of middle school were as okay as possible. Jackson only picked on him when he could but never went out of his way to do it again. Stiles crushed on folks left and right and Scott and Stiles added two friends to their group. Erica, a girl who was in the nurse’s office as often as Scott was, and Isaac, who was a member of the academic decathalon team that Stiles was captain of. Isaac was more Scott and Erica’s friend, and Erica Stiles’ and Isaac’s, but it was nice to not be alone.

\---

The first day of high school changed everything.


	2. First Day Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles Stilinski's luck in friends seems to have changed on the first day of high school. Cora, who he assumed would ignore him, inserts herself into his friend group. Stiles shows off his skills and maybe gets an admirer?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry everyone! I was posting the first chapter at BFE-o'clock and am still new with this whole AO3 thing, so I meant for it to be a multiple chapter series! I just wanted to go to sleep and didn't realize until I saw all of the comments! Thank you so much for your feedback, it helped me get through this chapter.
> 
> This is a lot more world building, introducing every other character, etc. I hope you all enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the first one.
> 
> Lots of love and light! Feedback is always welcome.

Unlike the three elementary school and two middle schools, Beacon Hills had only one high school. It was as large as the court house and had different wings for everything. Homerooms were still done by last name but besides that the school was a free-for-all. You could be in A-Hall for first period and then E-Hall for second. There were also four lunch periods, which meant he had a one in four chance of having lunch with Scott.

Luckily the pool between Stil- and Rey- was slim, even in a big school, and Stiles sat with Erica during the morning announcements. They had the same lunch time and last two periods, which meant that Stiles wouldn’t be totally alone. He managed to text Scott and get a response by the time the lunch bell rang.

\---

All four of them ended up having B lunch, which meant that Stiles wasn’t alone in his awkward shuffle through the halls towards the cafeteria. “I heard that all the athletes and really popular people sit outside.” Scott huffed as they peered out at the much larger courtyard. Stiles could see Jackson Whittemore’s head at the table of people who were destined to be on one of the school’s many athletic teams. Next to him was Danny Maheleani, who had moved to Beacon Hills from Hawaii last year. Danny was absurdly nice but spent all of his time with Jackson. Jackson had eased off of the bullying over the last year of middle school but still knew how to hit all of Stiles’ weak points. 

“So I guess we’re eating inside.” Erica answered as Stiles saw the top of Derek Hale’s head and sighed. “There is air conditioning and I don’t want Scott to have an allergic reaction to something.”

“Erica, that isn’t how asthma works.” Scott sighed. “It isn’t that hot out.”

“Scott, just listen to the lady and go, okay?” Isaac said, shoving Scott towards the cafeteria door. 

Most of the tables were open and surprisingly clean. “That one.” Erica said, pointing at an open table near a window that didn’t face the courtyard but instead trees near the back of the theatre. Isaac immediately ran over and sat his bag down on the table top. He then pulled out his paper lunch bag out of his book bag and began to open it up. Erica sat across from him and plopped her Catwoman lunch box open, her protein shake in a blue and gold bottle. 

“No peanuts today, Isaac?” Scott said hesitantly as he went over to sit, trying to decide which side of the table to sit on.

Isaac gave Scott a look, “Yes, Scott, you’ve ruined my nefarious plot to murder you of the first day of high school.” He held up his ham sandwich. “I haven’t had peanut butter in my house since the seventh grade. Camden remembered you’re allergic.”

“When is he shipping out again?” Erica asked.

“Next” a tray slammed down next to Stiles, “Wednesday. Hello?”

“Oh my God, Stiles, learn to pick up your phone.” Cora said as another girl sat down next to Scott gingerly. 

Stiles sighed. “I just got this phone, I didn’t want to risk getting it taken on the first day, Cora. Besides, I thought you would be sitting outside.”

“No way! He’s sitting with Whittemore and that bitch Jennifer Blake.” Cora sighed and tore into her pudding cup.

“You know Jennifer Blake?” Isaac asked from the other side of the table. Camden, who had graduated the spring before they came to BHHS, had dated Jennifer until the prom. He found out she was cheating on him with another guy and they broke up. Isaac loathed her.

“Yeah she’s been dating my brother for a while. My mom says they aren’t allowed to be alone together so I had to spend like, half my summer sitting in the living room as they cuddled and ate popsicles. She is the actual worst human being on the planet, though Derek thinks she walks on air.” Cora sighed.

“Isaac, Isaac Lahey.” Isaac offered his hand to her.

“Oh right, I’m Cora. This is Kira,” she said, gesturing to the girl across the table with her spoon. “We went to the artsy middle school. My older sister Laura is friends with Stiles so I already know some stuff about you guys.

“I’m Scott.” Scott offered. “You don’t have peanut butter today, do you? I’m really allergic.”

Cora shook her head. “No, I have a pizza lunchable.”

Kira looked up and shook a tupperware. “I have half a cold beef burrito? Are you allergic to beef?”

Scott shook his head quickly and dove back into his own turkey and cheese. However, his ears went pink, and Stiles took this note down in his head. Scott thought Kira was cute.

Cora leaned towards the table and looked at Erica. “You’re Erica, right?” Erica looked up from her sandwich but didn’t meet Cora’s eyes. After a second, she nodded. “Cool. I thought Stiles was lying when he said he made friends with a girl who is just as into comics as I am, but we’ll have to test that.” Erica smiled and that was it.

“What do you think of the New 52? It’s such bullshit, I can’t believe what they’ve done to Tim Drake….”

\----

Sadly, the luck stopped there. Fourth period was gym, a requirement to graduate, and it happened at the same time Team Sports did. This meant that Stiles and Scott were stuck in a class with Jackson Whittemore and Derek, who was taking team sports. Derek and Stiles made eye contact for several seconds before Coach launched into his rant.

“Good morning, children! My name is Coach Finstock and I will be teaching both Team Sports and Gym, which means that we’re all going to spend a lot of time together! However, Team Sports is an A day/B day class, which means we’ll only be seeing them every other day. We will be learning all of the regular sports and it counts towards your grade whether you participate or not. If you have any disabilities or health issues I should know about, tell me after I call the role. Now, let’s see, Abbott,” The coach looked up from the role to see a hand from the front row.

“Why is Derek Hale staring at us?” Scott asked.

“Burns?” Another hand went up.

“I have no idea, Scott, just let him stare. Probably thinking of ways to pummel us both into the ground.” Stiles responded.

“Daehler? Good. Evans? Evans?” The Coach called, finally seeing the hand of a short girl in the back.

“Oh yeah, I forgot how mean he was to you in middle school. People change, you know.” Scott said, staring at his shoes.

“Hale, I know you’re here.” Coach waved his hand at Derek ,”Johnson?” 

“I know, Scott, but I don’t think they go from hating you to liking you in two years with no contact.” After the incident Cora and Laura just came over. He had seen Derek around and the Hale adults had begun to ask why he never came over this past summer, but he just couldn’t handle the sadness in his chest whenever he saw Derek. 

“McCall?” Scott’s hand shot in the air and waved. “Okay, peppy boy, thank you. That was good.”

“I don’t know what happened between you two but it couldn’t have been that bad if he looks like that, Stiles. He looks like he really wants to talk to you!”

“Peters?” 

“He really doesn’t. That’s just his default jock expression. I bet it’s the same look he gives dogs when they approach him in their preternaturally happy state and beg for him to pet them. It’s a neutral expression.”

“Sti-Stilini-“ Coach flubbed.

“Stilinski. Stiles Stilinski. You probably can’t pronounce the first name either. Sorry about that.” Stiles said. The Coach locked eyes and then shrugged.

“Finally, Whittemore?” Coach called out.

“Here,” a snooty reply came from the back. Stiles so desperately wanted to turn around and sneer at Jackson but that would involve moving.

“Wonderful, everyone made it to the first day of class. Hopefully this is a pattern we’ll be keeping up. Everyone grab a syllabus then read and sign the dress code policy and we’ll be hunky-dory.” Coach pointed to a stack of papers on the other side of the bleachers. “Any health issues, now’s the time to speak up.”

Stiles pulled Scott up by the elbow. “Better go speak your piece now, Scotty-boy.”

They both went down to where Coach was standing, arms crossed. “How can I help you two, McCall and Bilinski.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “I’m just the support system.” He nudged Scott.

“I have pretty bad asthma.” He grabbed something from his pocket and handed it to Coach. 

Coach read over it and then looked at Scott. “Do you know anything about lacrosse?”

Scott shook his head but immediately brightened. “I don’t, but Stiles does!”

“Stiles?” Stiles waved. “Okay, well Bilinski, do you know how to string a lacrosse stick?”

Stiles sighed and nodded. “Yessir, I’m friends with Laura Hale.” Laura was captain of the BHHS girl's lacrosse team for four years straight; she had lead them to four championships.

Coach’s face lit up. “Wonderful. We got the funding to go ahead with a guy’s lacrosse team this year, which means that we have all new sticks to be strung. The first week of classes will be dodgeball and other high contact sports, so you two will be stringing while the rest of the class plays.”

Stiles groaned internally. Wonderful, first week and he was already on the bench.

“Then, on Friday, if you’re both really good, you’ll both be the demos for our lesson!” Coach said brightly, then patted them both on the back. Hard. “Anyway, I’ll show you where they are so you can just come in tomorrow and hop right to it. No need to change out.”

\----

The rest of the week was the same. Regular class, fine, lunch, great, gym class – living hell. At least Tuesday and Thursday Derek wasn’t there to shove it in Stiles’ face about how good at dodgeball he was, how he never hit above the neck but still left bruises on everyone. Jared showed them his deep bloomer Thursday afternoon on the bus ride home.

“Isn’t it nasty? I’m going to ask Coach to let me sit out of activity tomorrow. I can barely walk.” He enthused.

“Jared, buddy, I have two words for ya – indecent, exposure.” Stiles deadpanned.

Jared huffed and turned in his seat, eyes going back to the window.

It was only on Friday that things started to get weird.

“So, Stiles, Derek wants to know if you want a ride home today.” Cora asked as Stiles was halfway a big bite of his jelly sandwich.

He coughed it down with minimal laughing from Isaac and Erica and glared at Cora. “No, thank you, my father said never take rides from strangers.”

Cora tsked. “That happened two years ago, Stiles, you don’t have to hold it against him forever.”

“Well he and I haven’t ever been friends, Cora, and I don’t want to be in a car driven by somebody who could potentially hate me. Plus, I can’t leave Scott alone on the bus.”

“Why not?” Cora asked, obviously ready for the dumb answer.

“Well Jarred over there has a big fat crush on Scott,” Stiles pointed to Jared, who happened to be sitting at the Math Club table and was staring at theirs, “and if I leave the two of them alone for even a minute, I’m worried he’ll attack and Scott here will lose his kissing virginity to a guy who puked on the bus ride home seventeen times last year.”

Cora fake-gagged. “Gross.”

Stiles sighed. “I know. What you do for friendship, eh, Scotty?” Stiles nudged Scott’s foot under the table. 

Scott, however, was showing Kira how to lace a lacrosse stick with his shoelaces. Scott had caught both lacrosse and Kira fever and he showed no signs of losing either over the last four days. He had even told Stiles this morning he and Kira had talked about manga for forty-five minutes on the phone last night on the bus ride in and how cool it was. It made Stiles want to barf.

“Huh?” Scott said, looking up from his shoe on his lap.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it. We still going bowling tonight?” Stiles asked the table. They went bowling every other Friday this summer and Stiles was so ready to kick some ass somewhere. Fridays were bowl-all-you-can night.

Erica nodded. “My mom called the alley and they said they’d make sure the music was low enough and that the strobe lights aren’t on.” Express Lanes was always good about catering to Erica’s needs, especially because for her birthday this summer they had a giant party and rented out the whole alley. Repeat customers with easy requests made easy money. “Mom will pick you two up at 5:45.”

“Bowling?” Cora asked, staring Stiles down.

“Yeah, over at Express Lanes on Parkway. You both are totally allowed to come if you want to.” Stiles turned to Kira, who nodded. 

“Scott invited me last night.” Kira said, beaming at Scott, who was blushing.

“Sorry I forgot to say, bro, but I asked Erica yesterday and she okayed it.” Scott said to the table.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Are you in, Cora? If you come we’ll be an even six for once.” Stiles goaded.

Cora’s eyes were focused and after a moment, the tension slacked around them and she smiled a predatory smile. “Why yes, I think I will.”

\---

The lacrosse demo in gym went by quickly. Scott only got knocked over once by one of Stiles’ passes and Coach had slapped Stiles on the back when he was able to lace and unlace the net of his lacrosse stick in under five minutes. “Looks like you’ve got some natural talent there, Bilinski. Stick around and you may even make the team.”

Jackson snorted from his place near Derek. His stick was almost all the way done up. “Coach, Stiles can’t actually play sports. He just watches them from the bench.” Matt Daehler reached over from his spot on the ground and offered Jackson a fist bump, which he ignored.

“Whittemore, we do not put others down in this class room. Take five laps around the gym.” Coach said, waving his hands in Jackson’s direction. Jackson pulled himself off the ground and casually ‘ran into’ Stiles and Scott as he started his laps. “Anyway, next week if you two are good, we can work on you two being the faces of the lacrosse team. Too many of our young guys go to baseball or basketball just to get knocked off the roster because so many kids play. Then they don’t get involved in sports and end up being president of the Biology Club or something equally as moronic. I mean if you’re going to go for a club, at least go for the Econ Club, you know what I’m saying?” Stiles and Scott both stared blankly at him. “I also teach Economics.” The bell rang to signal the end of the school day at that very moment. “Skedaddle, gentlemen. See you Monday.”

\---

Stiles was hustling through his change. Though the gym was close to the bus lot, he had almost missed the bus yesterday when he had convinced Scott to pretend the lacrosse sticks were lightsabers and they had been five minutes late changing out. Even though Scott hadn’t seen _Star Wars_ he made pretty good lightsaber sounds. He didn’t want to be late and then have to call his dad for a ride. Deputy Graeme had already made fun of him once this week, he couldn’t handle her maniacal laughter as she drove him home with his sweaty gym clothes in his backpack.

“Stiles.” He heard a vaguely familiar voice say. 

“I know, Scott, I’m hurrying. I’m sorry I had to be the one that ran around the field today, remember?” Stiles said as he debated wearing his gym shorts on the bus. He wasn’t going to leave them over the weekend, so why not just wear them home? It was hot enough.

“Stiles.” The voice called again. 

As he went to turn his head to see who was talking to him, Scott’s voice echoed across the locker room. “Come on, Stiles, we gotta go! Mrs. Fitzsimmons just pulled in.”

Stiles scooped up his bag and ran. He marked up the random voice as his own delusions, telling him to change faster.

\---

Showered, changed and smelling a whole lot better, Stiles and Scott sat on either side of Erica as her mom drove them to the bowling alley. Erica already had her custom bowling shoes in her lap, ready to go, and was wearing her knee-high Batman socks Stiles had got her for her birthday. As Erica went on about how nice Camden Lahey was and how she was going to write him letters when he went off to wherever he was stationed, a text alert came up.

**Whatever you told Cora about Derek today, you got him MAD atchu.**

Laura. Ugh.

_Shouldn’t you be like, making out with someone or drinking a beer or other college-y things and not home on a Friday night?_

Laura had chosen to attend NYU for her freshman year and therefore it was 8:45 where she was. She shouldn’t be texting Stiles about an offhand comment he had made about her brother who hated him.

**It’s NYC I still have like 2 hours until I can go to Greenwich and people stalk. Anyways I wouldn’t have texted you if he wasn’t texting me, being annoying about driving to the bowling alley when he could be doing other stuff.**

_Prolly wants to makeout with the gf, who is a total bitch btw. You didn’t tell me he was dating._

**IKR? She’s the actual worst. It’s so funny our parents won’t allow them to be alone together in our house and he has to text every thirty minutes if they’re on a date.**

_Why the restrictions? You never had them._

**because she is the actual WORST and my parents want their relationship to fizzle up and die already. They aren’t a good match and Derek knows it. She’s too nice to his face though. Called Cora a piggy on 4th of July when she ate the last brownie.**

_Wow, that’s actually awful. Text Cora and see if Derek has to stay while we bowl._

**She says no but he probs will because his friend Boyd works the food there.**

Stiles sighed. _Tell her to make sure he stays away._

**Done and done, little b. Have fun with your nerd friends and thanks for taking Cora into your little nerd club.**

_She invited herself, Laura. Can’t really tell her no._

**I know! She’s the reason I have a beta fish right now.**

The car stopped and Stiles looked up to see the alley. 

_Here we go! Love you, big s._

**Love you too, kid.**

\----

Bowling went as well as expected. Kira and Cora arrived at the same time and Stiles followed Derek’s figure as he skulked over to the food counter, a large black guy standing behind it and greeting him. Boyd had worked the counter all summer and had been nothing but nice to his group of friends since they started to come here. Camden Lahey had been Erica’s main crush since she had met him in the seventh grade, but Boyd was something different. He was attainable. Erica’s favorite pastime besides Facebook stalking Camden was talking about her and Boyd going on a date – a fantasy which got more elaborate each time. They would go to raves or concerts or even live performances of Rocky Horror – stuff Erica couldn’t do with the flashing lights and the chance of seizures. Stiles’ favorite was Boyd and Erica going to a baseball game on the Fourth of July, eating as many hotdogs as they could, then kissing as the fireworks came out. Erica couldn’t eat hotdogs with the buns or the condiments, so hearing her talk about mustard like it was truffle sauce always made him hungry.

Stiles didn’t do poorly or well, came in third overall and as the night ended, he was more focused on the feeling that he was being watched as opposed to beating Scott. Scott who had fallen on his face during his first turn and was now sporting an ice pack, Kira holding it to his face and telling him stories under her breath. 

By the time it hit eight, Stiles’ stomach was growling and he was glad to see the uniform of the Sherriff’s department as his dad strolled in the door. Camden had picked Isaac up about ten minutes earlier with the excuse of ‘family time’ that Isaac had to come to.

“Dad!” Stiles had enthused and ran to hug his dad. His dad worked late on Thursday nights and then went to work at 9 PM on Fridays so Stiles rarely got to see him. He normally slept all day and by the times Stiles was home from school was grocery shopping or doing paperwork in his office. 

“Hey buddy.” The Sherriff gave Stiles a thorough hug as he smiles at the Reyes’. “I’ve got Scott and Stiles.” He nodded at Cora and then smiled at Kira. “You need a ride home, Cora?”

She shook her head and pointed a finger at Derek, who was chewing viciously on his straw. “I’ve got Derek to drive me.” Derek waved gingerly.

“Alrightie then, let’s go boys.” Stiles waved as Scott gave Kira another goodbye hug and then went to Stiles’ side. As they left the alley Scott began to speak.

“Sherriff have you met Kira? She’s like, the coolest person I’ve ever met and that includes you, Stiles, and my mom.” Scott enthused, bounding towards his dad’s cruiser. 

“No but Stiles has told me that you’ve made a new lady friend. I’m glad to see you two out on a Friday night at least.” The Sherriff said as he opened the doors.

“Dad, it’s just bowling night like every other Friday night this summer.” Stiles groaned. They all piled in, Stiles in the front seat, his dad driving and Scott tucked neatly in the middle seat.

“If you say so, kid.” His dad said as he started the car.

\---

Monday morning, Stiles found a note in his locker in unfamiliar cursive.

_Forget the past, embrace the present, prepare for the future._

_Fall Fling two zero one two – Can I woo you?_

Stiles looked around the hallway but all he saw was Erica pushing her biology book into her locker. “Erica, do you have a weird note in your locker?”

Erica looked at him and shook her head. “No, why?” Stiles handed her the note. After she read it, she smirked. “Ooh, Stiles, you got a boo!” She crowed loudly. 

He snatched the note back from her. “No I do not. It’s probably just Jackson, playing a joke.” He shoved the note into his locker and slammed it shut. “Ready for homeroom?”

Erica sighed. “I suppose.”

Neither of them saw the figure lurking at the end of A-Hall, watching them walk to class.


	3. The Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles makes a new friend and accidentally ends up in the back of Derek Hale's car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I'm surprisingly more consistent with this story than my last. It is probably because I had 20k of that one written before I posted. Anyway, this is a little bit more world building and exploring. I hope it doesn't feel like it's dragging or pointless. Please let me know if it does.
> 
> Love you all!

It was during second period English that day that another weird moment happened. Mrs. Kinder had said on the syllabus that they would have projects about novels of their choice before they read the ones of the syllabus, but she had not been specific about what they would entail. The first book on the list was _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen.

“So today, class, I will pairing you off and then between the two of you, you will pick a book written by a female author before 1990. I expect a full report on the themes and also on the author themselves. The syllabus is right here and I will give it to you and your partner once you decide on a piece. I would prefer that it is a piece of fiction though I will allow non-fiction if you know of a piece you would like to do. You may not pick _Pride and Prejudice_ , either. Any questions?” She said, looking over her reading glasses. “Yes, Mr. Stilinski?”

“What if we wanted to do another of Austen’s works?” Stiles asked, his left foot tapping anxiously.

“If you and your partner decide on one of Austen’s other novels I will allow it.” She looked a little impressed. “Any other questions?”

“Why 1990?” Jackson asked from the back.

“All of you were born after 1990, correct?” The class all nodded. “So the books are at least older than you. Putting that limit also eliminates Harry Potter or The Hunger Games. Any other questions?” Danny raised his hand. “Yes, Danny?”

“Can you please give us some examples?” He asked, grinning. “I’m sure I’ve read some books by popular female authors but I’ve just forgotten which ones.”

Her eyes lit up. “Of course, how silly of me. Well, the Bronte sisters are a good choice if you want to ease into the older styles of writing. If you haven’t read _Little Women_ by Louisa May Alcott that’s a good choice. _The Handmaiden’s Tale_ by Margaret Atwood if you’re into more adult themes. _Mrs. Dalloway_ by Virginia Woolf, _Their Eyes Were Watching God_ by Zora Neale Hurston, any of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies are okay, _Frankenstein_ if you really must ..”

“Thank you!” Danny chirped. Stiles wondered what it was like to be so nice. Danny reminded him of the story in the _Book of Virtures_ , where there were two brothers and one was so polite and used the please that lived in his mouth so often that his brother’s hopped across the table to live in the first brother’s mouth. He supposed the please-less one was Jackson, which made him snicker.

“Alright, so it is time to partner up now.” She began to read the list as Stiles made eye contact with Cora first, then Erica. They sat in a line on the left side of the room. Stiles then scanned the room. Lydia was in this class, which wouldn’t be bad at all. Jackson, Danny, Jared … “Cora Hale, Jackson Whittemore.” Stiles made a soft gagging noise as Cora glared over at Jackson. Jackson seemed both happy he was paired with someone he knew and sad he wasn’t with Danny. “Stiles Stilinski, Danny Mahealani. Erica Reyes, Jared –“ Stiles made eye contact with Danny and smiled. Danny smiled back. “Alright guys, move over to where your partner is.”

“Hale, come over here.” Jackson called. Cora rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him as she packed up her books. 

“Make him do something really long, like _Little Women_. He hates reading.” Stiles commented softly.

“Another reason to loathe him. Thanks buddy.” Cora sighed as she heaved her bookbag onto her shoulder and stood up from her desk. As she began the death march to the right side of the room, Danny slid into her seat.

“Hi.” Danny said, dimples wide. “So I take it you have an idea for the project?”

Stiles beamed. “Yeah. I’d really like to do _Persuasion_ by Austen, if that’s alright. It was my mom’s favorite book.”

“Is it any good?” Danny asked politely. Stiles knew it probably was weird to want to do something for your mother but it would probably be the only chance he got.

“Yes! It would also be great to have as a comparison for when we read _Pride and Prejudice_ , because it was one of her first books and _Persuasion_ was her last one. She wasn’t even alive when they published it and it was still a hit.” Stiles enthused.

Danny shrugged, “Go ahead. I’m game.”

Stiles raised his hand excitedly. “Yes, Stiles?” Mrs. Kinder said, her mouth in a half-smile.

“We would like to do _Persuasion_ , if that is alright.” Stiles let the words tumble out of his mouth.

She raised an eyebrow. “Excellent choice.”

\---

By lunch Stiles was in a great mood. He and Danny had decided to meet after school the next day to study. Danny was sure there was either a copy of the book lying around his house or that his parents wouldn’t mind taking him to the bookstore before the end of the day. Stiles already knew where his own copy of the book was. It sat on the desk in his bedroom – it had since the day after his mother had passed. It was the only book that called the desk home. 

“I can’t believe I got stuck with Jackson as a partner.” Cora whined as she scarfed down her pudding. “He’s so awful.”

“You could always just ask your brother to, you know, make him be nice to you or something.” Stiles butted in. “Besides, you convinced him to do _Little Women_. He’ll never finish it and then you can complain about how you did more than your fair share. Bada bing, bada boom, instant A.”

“Derek and Jackson aren’t really friends, you know. Derek doesn’t really have friends besides Boyd.” Cora said, smacking Stiles in the shin..

“You know Boyd?” Erica piped in. 

“Yeah, he moved here when we were in the seventh grade. Started coming to the house after that and now he comes over all the time. Mom likes him more than Jennifer.” Cora snorted. “Probably because he’s the President of the ‘I Hate Jennifer Blake’ fan club.”

“He should just eat with us then.” Erica said, her voice half an octave higher. She cleared her throat. “I mean, if he has this lunch period, there aren’t a whole bunch of us that sit here. Plus it’ll mean someone to protect us.”

“Protect us from what?” Kira asked. She had been inking a portrait of Isaac onto Scott’s arm with a gold Sharpie.

“Just, you know, in case any jocks get any big ideas about teasing us. Last year they stole Scott’s inhaler out of his backpack during lunch and then hid it in the girl’s locker room. Before I was friends with these guys, they used to stare at me during lunch. It was like they were waiting for me to have a seizure.” Erica shuddered. 

“Those types of people are so weird. Who wants someone to have a seizure?” Kira said, sighing.

“The same kind of people that set off my asthma attacks. The people who have no heart.” Scott said solemnly. “Anyway, I think Coach is going to let me actually play some football during next week’s unit on it. I went and talked to him ..”

\---

The very next day during lunch, Vernon Boyd IV himself sat down. If not for his football player stature and his bizarrely pink t-shirt, the group probably wouldn’t have noticed him to begin with. He sat next to Kira, which was across from Cora, and began to go through his school lunch. Today it looked like actually edible macaroni and cheese and some sort of green glop of vegetables.

“Hi, Boyd!” Erica enthused from the other side of the table. He looked at her, made eye contact, and nodded. He then made eye contact with everybody else at the table, nodded, and went back to picking at his lunch.

“Do you need salt for your food?” Stiles asked, reaching into his lunch box. “I always have some on me in case my dad ends up making my lunch and it’s terribly bland.” He pulled out a handful of salt packets.

Boyd looked at Cora, who nodded, and then nodded at Stiles. He only managed two words that lunch period. “Thank you.”

\---

That afternoon, Stiles was saying goodbye to Scott as he changed out of his gym clothes. While he didn’t care how he smelled around Scott or any of his other fellow bus mates, he did not want to gross Danny out on their first day working together. During class he had felt Jackson’s stares and had assumed Jackson had figured out how long _Little Women_ was and that Cora wasn’t going to put up with any of his bullshit this time. Stiles wouldn’t be surprised if Jackson tried to bribe Mrs. Kinder with cold hard cash to switch partners.

Stiles liked to think that Mrs. K was better than that. Stiles also knew the rate of pay for a public high school teacher in California. 

It could swing either way.

Stiles had just finished reapplying his deodorant and cologne when he turned to see Derek Hale, standing there, waiting for him. Stiles did not scream. He did almost drop his bottle of cologne though. 

“If you want to give me a swirly or lock me in a locker, could you please wait until tomorrow? I’ve got to go work on a project for class.” Derek was blocking the way to Stiles’ open locker, which held all of his amenities to defeat bullies. Should have just brought my bag over here, Stiles thought glumly as he saw his lacrosse stick hanging on its hook.

“What.” Derek responded flatly.

Stiles sighed. “What I’m saying is please move out of my way, Derek, I have to go work on a project with someone and you’re in the way. If you feel the need to torture me, please refrain until tomorrow. Or 4:00, whichever one works better for you.” Stiles sidestepped Derek and was pleased to see that he was able to walk by without being grabbed and shaken.

“No, I …” Derek said, pausing. 

“You?” Stiles questioned, pulling on his undershirt. Derek just stared at him until Stiles sighed and continued putting on the rest of his clothes – pants, over shirt, changing his socks. After Stiles had tied up his tennis shoes, he looked up again. Derek was gone. He checked his phone – 3:10. He had five minutes to get to the library.

\---

He was perfectly on time for his meeting with Danny, who was waiting at the entrance to the library. He lit up like the Fourth of July when Stiles walked through the door. “Hey! I got us two computers over on the talking side of the library.”

“Awesome, let’s get started on it!” Stiles enthused, his copy of _Persuasion_ already in hand. “Have you managed to get your hands on a copy yet?”

Danny nodded. “My parents really encourage me to read, so they just took me to Barnes & Noble’s last night after dinner. You’re right by the way, this book is genius. Your mom has good taste in books.” 

“Thanks.” Stiles said softly. “She passed away when I was eleven.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Danny replied. “I didn’t mean to stir up any bad feelings, I know that losing a parent is probably the worst thing that could happen to a child.”

“It was for me. Thank you. I should be getting over it, I’m fifteen.” Stiles said, awkwardly flipping the book from one hand to the other. “So, what do you want to do for our presentation on Austen?”

“I was reading the syllabus,” Stiles had forgotten to do so, “and it says it needs to be about five minutes long, with external sources and stuff. We could do a PowerPoint? I’m really good with computers, it’ll be a breeze.” Danny said, glancing at Stiles.

“We could! Let’s make a doc and write all of the facts and sources down, then we can pick the most important facts out and do the layout.” Stiles said.

“Sounds good! But I, I didn’t get your number yesterday or your email, and that would probably help? Just so we can send ideas to each other.” Danny gestured at the computer screen, which was already open to his email account. “Just type your stuff in there and I’ll email it to myself.”

“Man, that’s smart.” Stiles said, leaning over to type in his information. “You could have just added me on Facebook, though.”

“We don’t have a lot of mutual friends and I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable by asking.” Danny said shyly.

“It should be the other way around, dude.” Stiles chuckled. “I mean, you’re friends with Jackson, who like hates me, and Derek, who also hates me, and all of those other jock people who hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.” Danny volunteered. “I don’t think Derek does either.”

Stiles waved his hand. “Jackson’s hatred of me had probably spewed over to Derek. Jackson used to be my best friend and now…” Stiles made a gesture, “now I’m hoping he doesn’t start putting pictures of me from his seventh birthday on Facebook.” Stiles had chugged a liter of orange soda and had proceeded to scream the words to ‘It Wasn’t Me’ by Shaggy for five minutes. Jackson had found it hilarious at the itme.

“Do you know why Jackson hates you?” Danny asked sweetly.

Stiles shrugged his shoulders. “One Saturday he was at my house for a sleepover. The next Monday he’s holding hands with Lydia Martin and telling me I’m a giant weirdo. We didn’t even do anything weird at that sleepover. I just told him I thought he was better than Lydia and that the two of us should get married one day and watch ‘Power Rangers’ for the rest of our lives.”

“Really?” Danny frowned. “That’s terrible.”

“Yeah, I know. I couldn’t imagine being married to modern Jackson, he looks like he reeks of Axe and coconut hair gel.” Stiles hated coconuts.

“No, Stiles, I mean that’s terrible. Are you,” Danny dropped his voice a little lower, “are you gay? Or bi?”

Stiles shrugged again. “I don’t know. Probably bi. Erica and I were watching ‘She’s The Man’ this summer and I realized that Channing Tatum was hot.” He had also had a massive crush on Tommy from ‘Power Rangers’ when he was younger. “You?”

Danny flushed. “I’m gay.” 

“Cool, man! Whatever floats your boat.” Stiles replied, tapping his knuckles on the table. “So …”

\---

The very next day the lunch table configuration flipped around again. Boyd sat on the far end, next to Erica, Isaac had moved down one to be face to face from Boyd. Scott didn’t follow suit and so now there was a big empty spot directly across from Stiles. “Cora, go sit across from me.”

Cora looked up from where she was cramming for a biology test. “No.”

“Cora.” Stiles whined. With no one sitting across from him, he could see the back of Jackson’s head. He seemed to be hunched over something, both he and Lydia’s pointed down. “I don’t wanna stare at the back of Jackson’s head for the next thirty minutes.”

Before she could answer, Danny appeared to block his view. “Is it okay if I sit here?” He said, clinging to the strings of his backpack. “I’m kind of mad at Jackson and I kind of wanted to talk about the book.”

Stiles waved him down. “Feel free. Where are you at?” 

Danny placed his backpack on the floor, then slid in a little bit. “Well, she just met Captain Benwick. How many people in this book are captains of something, Stiles?” 

Stiles chuckled. “Quite a few, my friend. Quite a few. Do you like it still?”

“Of course!” Danny began to speak in his slow, careful way about his burgeoning love for the hapless Anne Elliot, which passed the lunch period in a quick way.

\---

Gym class, however, was not as serendipitous. The older group was gone, which meant Coach had them practicing passing for the lesson on football the next day. Coach was about halfway through a poorly-remembered monologue from ‘Independence Day’ when a football sailed across the room and smacked Stiles flat on his ass. 

“Ow!” Stiles yelled. It had hit him in the temple and when Stiles pulled his hand away, there was a trickle of blood attached to it. He saw Jackson give Matt a high five. “Coach?” Stiles called.

Coach paused his monologue to look over at Stiles. “What, kid?”

“I’m bleeding.” Stiles said, shaking the red stained hand at the man. “I think I should go see the nurse.”

Coach sighed and snapped his paddle-shaped bathroom pass off of his belt loop. “Take McCall with you, he looks like he’s about to start wheezing.”

As they grabbed their stuff from the locker room, Stiles turned to Scott, “Did you see Jackson hit me?”

Scott nodded eagerly. “Yeah dude, he,” Scott took a big breath, “he just flat out hit you with the ball. He was,” another big breath, “trying to hurt you. Should we have told Coach?”

Stiles shook his head, remembering what he told Danny yesterday. “No, I don’t think he’d believe us.”

“Should we be worried?” Scott wheezed out. 

“About Jackson? I don’t think so.” I hope not, Stiles thought. “Do you have your inhaler?”

Scott shook it in his left hand. “Yep. Ready to go to the nurse’s office?”

Stiles sighed and pulled out his phone. “I guess so.” He shot off a text to Cora about what had happened. She would tell Erica – they both had art this block. Cora had just chosen the seat closest to the window so no one could catch her with her phone out. 

_Jackson hit me in the head with a football today. FML I thought I was going to be done with this shit._

**are u bleeding?** She texted back seconds later.

_Yes._

**damn now I have to feel bad for u. :(**

_You’re a great friend._

**ty I try. –bows-**

\---

After getting checked for a concussion and getting his very own Hello Kitty bandaid – “they were on sale” – he waited for the bell to ring. He couldn’t exactly go anywhere or do anything, and the nurse had already called his dad and explained that he was fine, so no early pick up for him or Scott. Instead he was staring at the ancient map of BHHS that was framed on the wall.

Once the bell rang, he and Scott hustled it out of the nurse’s office. They would still be on time for the bus.

Stiles felt a pull on the back of his shirt. He turned around to see none other than Derek Hale there, staring at him. “What?”

“I’m driving you home.” He said quickly. 

“Excuse me?” Stiles answered. Derek had a cool car or whatever, but it did not mean he randomly got to single Stiles out and force him on rides home in his beautiful, pristine black Camaro. “I can’t leave Scott alone.”

Derek rolled his eyes at the same time Cora popped up by her brother’s shoulder. “It’s okay, we can take Scott home too.” Scott’s eyes lit up. He loved Derek’s car since the first time he had seen it, which was when they had washed cars for their Boy Scout troop three weeks ago. “Please, Stiles? You could have a concussion and being on a hot, crowded bus would be bad for it.”

Before Stiles could correct her, his phone buzzed in his hand.

**Take the ride home, little b.**

Even Laura was for this. “Okay, but straight home, please. Also, thank you.”

Derek’s left eyebrow curved as to say, _what for?_

Cora used her words. “Okay!” She grabbed both Scott and Stiles by the straps of their backpacks and started to walk away. “So first things first I’m riding shotgun.”

\---

The ride home was, in a word, strange. Stiles watched Cora change the radio stations as Derek drove and Scott sat next to him, reading the manual for the car. This was what his life would have been like had Derek decided not to be so weird and ditch him for Jackson. This would be fun, not riding the bus and worrying about Jared puking on him or Scott inhaling too much dust and starting an attack. Calm. Peaceful. Nice.

It was only until after Stiles got home and looked at himself in the mirror that he remembered why Derek had taken pity on him in the first place. The Hello Kitty band-aid made him look like an idiot, his eyes a little droopy from not sleeping well the night before, wrapped up in the world of Regency-Era Bath and sea captains. 

Stiles sighed and splashed some water on his face, then went back into his room. Before he picked up with his notes on _Persuasion_ , he texted Cora again.

_Tell your brother thank you again for me, please._

**k**

Stiles rolled his eyes and went back to his book.


	4. Bad Girlfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Stiles and Danny's friendship grows, things seem to start getting weird with his other friends. A new girl comes in to distract Scott, Kira runs for class president and Boyd shows human emotion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry if the grammar in this is bad, i'm not feeling my best! Anyway, I was asked to expand a little bit on why Jennifer was so bad so hopefully this will explain it. Maybe I see a few things as a bit worse than other people, I don't know. 
> 
> If you're reading my other story, I'm putting off writing the last chapter because I don't want it to be over! Writing this one is a lot less emotionally draining plus, you know, happier.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this! Lots of love.

Boyd had C lunch every other day but Danny was still sitting with them when Kira made an announcement that Friday. “I’m going to run for class president!” She said, her voice high with excitement and nerves.

Surprisingly it was Danny who was first to speak. “Really? You’d be awesome at it.” He sounded genuine in his statement.

Scott nodded vigorously, “You really would.” He put one hand over hers, his attempt at an acceptance gesture. Kira’s smile went from wobbly to even.

“We could run together, even. I was thinking about running for VP.” Danny added on. There was obviously more to that story, but Stiles didn’t want to push. He hadn’t seen Danny speaking to Jackson or even Lydia over the past couple of days. The Batman band-aid on his forehead spoke of his still immense dislike for Jackson. 

Kira jumped in her seat a little bit. “Are you sure? I thought you might run with Lydia.” Danny raised an eyebrow. “I saw her getting paperwork from Jennifer Blake earlier.” Jennifer was the president of the senior class board, according to Camden she had been class president since the sixth grade. One person had ever run against her and they had ended up being pelted by water balloons during their own birthday party.

Jennifer was not all she appeared to be. 

Danny shook his head. “Lydia is Jackson’s girlfriend. She and I are friends I guess but … you guys make me feel more like a person with good ideas, you know? Instead of the best friend that’s always on the sidelines.”

“Like, why you didn’t play during baseball season last year yet you were on the team?” Scott asked innocently. It had always been weird, how Danny would train with the team and do workouts, yet never played in a single game.

“I, I have a heart condition. With all the stop and go of baseball, it could cause issues with my heartbeat patterns and lead to problems with breathing and other things. Why I didn’t try out for football either. Though I almost did marching band.” Danny said, tapping his chin with his index finger.

“Why didn’t you?” Erica asked sweetly. Erica didn’t play sports – her blood sugar getting low could lead to a seizure. The group had seen it happen a couple of times but never wanted Erica to feel bad. It’s why Stiles always had a pack of Reese’s in his backpack, even if Scott was allergic. Scott could back off if Erica suddenly felt light-headed; Erica couldn’t just magically walk away from low blood sugar without some sort of sustenance. 

“Jackson said it was lame and that I should just train for basketball. I don’t really like basketball all that much though.” Danny shrugged. “If I wanted to get pushed around by a lot of guys, I’d just go to Game Stop when the next HALO comes out.”

“Did you know that basketball was invented in America?” Isaac asked. Danny shook his head. “In 1891, James Naismith …”

\---

The weekend passed quickly, with Danny coming over on Saturday to work on their project. They ended up watching the 2007 version of _Persuasion_ off of Danny’s computer hooked up to the Stilinski TV via a cool HDMI cord. This lead to an argument about who would be the best Captain Wentworth if Captain Wentworth was modern. 

Saturday night his dad had the overnight shift so he slept over at Scott’s. Scott was telling him about Kira’s poster designs when he got a text from Danny.

**so, are you going to go to the Halloween Hop?**

Stiles thought the fall dance was called the Fall Fling. _did they change the name of the Fall Fling to that?_

**no, the Fall Fling is for upperclassmen; the freshmen and sophomore boards ‘host’ it. Halloween Hop is for us and the sophomores. It’s totally cosplay.**

_NO WAY. THAT SOUNDS SO COOL._ Last year, Stiles’ dad had banned him and Scott from going trick or treating, so he ended up scaring the neighborhood kids away in his Red Hood costume. 

**yeah, i thought so too. you should think about going. (:**

_I will! Thanks for telling me. ((((:_

\---

By the time Monday rolled around Stiles had a list of costumes stuffed in his pants pocket to run by the lunch table for the Halloween Hop. He’d probably end up going stag but he was hoping he could pull off a group costume. It was going to be so cool.

He found another note in his locker this time but thought nothing of it. This person was probably trying to aim for Erica’s locker. Stiles secretly hoped it was Boyd. Erica had spent all of their phone call the night before waving back and forth between how she would act if Boyd didn’t sit with them at lunch the next day – annoyed that he decided they weren’t cool enough to sit with, angry because they had apparently had a great phone conversation Friday night after his football game, or ambivalent so it did not look she was practically raving about him to everyone. 

In English class that day they started the Colin Firth version of _Pride and Prejudice_ , which was only interrupted by a brief doodling session.

Lunch, however, was strange. There was a new girl sitting in Kira’s seat, chatting away with Scott as if they were best buddies. Stiles took his seat cautiously. “Hello.”

The girl turned to him and Stiles had to hand it to Scott, he always made friends with stunners. “Hi! I’m Allison. I was just talking to Scott about borrowing his notes for biology.” Scott was worse with notes then he was with remembering where his inhaler was. Good luck, Allison. 

“I told her she should probably ask Erica. My handwriting’s kind of bad.” Scott looked at Allison. “Erica should be here any minute.”

“Stiles.” Stiles said, waving a hand awkwardly. “Are you new?”

Allison nodded her head solemnly. “Yeah, my grandfather passed away so we moved here to live with my aunt for a little while. She’s really young so she needed a guardian and my dad was the only family she had left…” Allison trailed off, her smile gone from her face.

“I’m sorry for your loss. What’s your aunt’s name, if you don’t mind me asking?” Scott beamed at Stiles. Normally Stiles would have just grunted his name and would have gone back to the cold pizza waiting for him.

“Kate. Kate Argent.” Allison said freely. Stiles stiffened but she took no notice. “She’s sitting outside with some people, actually. Said I should join her if I ‘didn’t want to end up a loser’.” By this point Cora was sitting down, Boyd playing with his school lunch that looked like it was labelled ‘meatloaf’ but probably meant ‘deer meat’. “Looks like Erica isn’t going to be at lunch, so I’ll text you about studying, okay?” Scott nodded and Allison wandered out into the courtyard, a smile on her face.

Stiles saw Kira talking to the band teacher on the other side of the cafeteria so he took the time at hand and kicked Scott. “What the fuck, Scott?” He exclaimed. 

“She asked me for a pen in biology today! I couldn’t just say no to the new girl. Plus her grandpa dying? That’s awful. I was just trying to be nice to her, Stiles.” Scott said angrily.

“Well could you pick someone who won’t be making fun of us for the next four years? Look, I bet you she won’t even need Erica’s notes, she’s talking to Lydia already.” Stiles gestured with the tip of his slice of pizza. 

Scott’s quick turn of his head made him smack Danny in the chest with his face. “Sorry, Danny!” Scott exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

Danny smiled and rubbed his stomach. “The only reason my stomach hurts now is because I’m really hungry. Hey Stiles.” He dropped his backpack next to Scott, pulling out his lunch bag. “Did you think about the Halloween Hop?”

“Dude, yes!” Stiles went in his pocket and pulled out the first scrap of paper in there, handing it to Danny. “These are all the ideas I had and I made sure there were partner or group costumes to go along, since you were the one that brought it up.”

Danny looked up, his forehead wrinkled. “Stiles, this is a note asking you, and I quote, ‘ _Are you ready to hit the floor with me? Fall Fling is the place to be. ___’.”

Stiles blushed and pulled out the other piece of paper and traded them. “I don’t know what that’s about, do you, Boyd?” Stiles asked pointedly, staring him down. 

Boyd’s face showed a trace of fear but he quickly schooled his features into a look of disinterest. “I have no idea what that means either. Just that whoever wrote that is working really hard on their rhymes apparently.” Cora took this as a perfect distraction to snatch the paper from Stiles and stare at it intently.

“Anyway, I spent most of yesterday working on that list. I was hoping we could go as like, the Power Rangers, because then there would be enough of us. Hopefully they won’t use strobe lights so Erica can come, but then one of the girls will have to be a guy….” Stiles trailed off as Isaac and Kira both sat down.

“I like the Star Trek idea, that’s pretty cool. Plus no one will have to pretend to be a boy.” Danny put in.

Scott beamed. “I saw that movie!”

“Me too!” Kira exclaimed. 

Isaac rolled his eyes. “Has anyone not seen that movie?” Even Boyd shrugged. “Then we’ve all seen the reboot. Where’s Erica?”

Boyd was the first to answer. “She had a doctor’s appointment.” They all stared at him. “What, I texted her to see if she wanted me to bring her some M&M’s, she wasn’t feeling well before school.”

They all nodded at him. Isaac gave him a silent round of applause. “You’re a good dude, Boyd. Are you going to be working at the alley Friday night?”

Boyd shook his head. “No, I have a football game. But I got a job at the ice rink last weekend. The alley is only on weeknights and I’m starting to have football practice or games and they won’t let me work weekends during the school year. The rink will.”

“I guess we’ll have to start ice skating then.” Cora said, “I can’t wait to see Stiles fall on his ass.”

“Hey!” Stiles exclaimed and the whole table burst out in laughter.

\---

On Wednesday Mrs. Kinder gave them the due dates for their projects, and Stiles and Danny got the next Wednesday. Their PowerPoint was already rocking – they even used a clip from the movie they watched in it – but Danny kept giving excuses to work on it more. “You could come over on Friday and we could work on it some more…” Danny said during partner time in class.

“No can do, we go bowling every other Friday. Danny, look, I am sure that our PowerPoint is great, our presentation skills are perfect. Cora says Jackson hasn’t even finished the book and Erica can’t look at a computer for a long time so she has no idea what her and Jared’s presentation looks like. Lydia looks like she’s going to kill Matt. We’ll be fine.” Stiles leaned back in his chair. “Besides, you and Kira are doing speeches for Freshmen Board that day, you shouldn’t do schoolwork right after that.”

Danny sighed and picked at the lint on his sweater. “I know but I don’t want to go to the football game and I don’t want to be alone on Friday night either.”

“Danny, dude, you can come bowling with us. You’re part of the friend group now, it’ll be fun.” Stiles patted Danny on the shoulder. “What else is stressing you out?”

“Lydia chose Allison Argent for her running mate. That girl is like a snake charmer – everyone I’ve met is half in love with her and she’s been at this school for three days.” Danny kicked at the basket of the empty seat in front of him. “I’m just worried we won’t win.”

“Danny, just like, smile at the camera for a few seconds after your speech is over. The upperclassmen can’t vote and I think half of our grade is in love with you, gay or not.” Stiles said. Allison had been brought up in the conversations he and Scott had; even his dad knew who Allison was and he had seen Scott for three minutes when his dad was picking Stiles up from the McCall’s house.

Danny beamed.

\---

Their speeches went perfectly during the afternoon announcements. Stiles swore he heard three girls sigh as Danny smiled at the end of his speech. Stiles had forgotten about the two schools mixing and how many people apparently knew Kira from the other school. Three boys and two girls had clapped loudly after Kira’s speech and had glared their way through Lydia’s and Allison’s. Scott had volunteered to run for treasurer and was surprisingly the only one to run, so he just stuttered his way through and started to giggle at someone off-camera. 

Due to the special circumstances, the afternoon announcements had forced people back to their homerooms thirty minutes before school ended and Stiles’ homeroom teacher was so easy going that she let Stiles and Erica go sit on the patch of grass in between the A Wing and the E Wing after they handed in their votes. Erica was making a daisy chain when a third body and backpack slammed down across from them. Stiles looked up from where his head was resting in Erica’s lap to see Derek in all of his letterman-jacketed glory.

“Aren’t you like, burning up in that thing, dude? Just because the football team is playing Hawthorne tonight, it doesn’t mean that you have to give yourself heat stroke to show school spirit.” Were the words that spilled out of Stiles’ mouth. He had no idea where they came from or why he was even speaking to the third worst human he knew, but that’s what happened. 

Derek looked at him as if he was a puzzle who had a few pieces missing, but after about thirty seconds he stripped his jacket, stuffing it into his lap. 

“Shouldn’t you be like, in the office, waiting on your girlfriend? I’m sure she’s done with the announcements by now.” Stiles added. Derek sighed and pulled his sunglasses on, setting up his backpack and his jacket to be a makeshift pillow. “I mean, I know she is the second worst person on the planet but you can at least act like you like her and not like you’re dating her just because she makes your family miserable. Especially your sisters. Who dates a guy that teases his sisters?” Derek stayed silent. 

Just like old times. Stiles blabbed every single thing that happened to him or went through his mind and Derek sat there and took it all in. 

“Or maybe you’re waiting for the actual worst person in the world to come back outside. It was weird seeing her back in public school, especially with her niece and everything.” Kate had transferred to Sisters of Mercy, the private all-girls school, freshman year. “You really do date the worst people, Derek.”

“Stiles!” Erica exclaimed, smacking him on the head. “You just don’t say that to strangers, even if you know their family. That’s rude.”

Before Stiles could formulate a reply, the bell rang and people began to spill out either towards the bus lot or towards the pick-up lane and the student parking lot. Stiles sighed and got to his feet, picking up his backpack. “See you later, Erica. Make sure you eat before we go.” He turned his back to Derek, walking away. 

He swore he heard a soft, “Bye, Stiles.”

\---

Bowling was strange this time around. Boyd wasn’t there because of the game, and neither was Cora. The Hales were oddly proud of each other, which meant that when they could all attend one of Derek’s things, they would. Laura was the only one who had ever been able to wiggle out of her duties and that was always because she claimed watching Stiles as an excuse. One weekend this summer the Hales had gone to a baseball tournament the same weekend his dad had a sheriff’s conference, so Laura had brought Stiles over to their house and had gotten him trashed on bad whiskey and cheap beer. She had then proceeded to make him watch the sing along version of ‘Mamma Mia’. There was a video of him belting ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ somewhere on Laura’s phone. 

Sometimes he really hated Laura. 

While Cora wasn’t there, Stiles had taken to texting her. Erica seemed to be in a weird place, staring heavily at Stiles and then remembering he could see her and casually checking the score. He wondered if Derek had spoken to Erica on their way over to the private ride side of campus, had told her about their weird fake friendship and how Stiles was just the most awkward person he knew. Erica knew all of this already but maybe Derek was blackmailing her with information about Boyd or maybe even Camden, though Stiles thought that their friendship was in a bad place since, you know, Jennifer.

Jennifer, who had dated Camden for three years in high school. Jennifer, who had freaked out about Camden enlisting – though it was his dream – and had instead hooked up with his friend. His friend, who she had told they broke up, who was the other man. The man that she had cheated on Camden with. Derek. 

The Hales were very anti-cheating and when Stiles had relayed all of the drama to Laura, they invited Jennifer over and had gotten the worst impression. She had arrived hung over from someone’s birthday party, no makeup, an obvious hickey that wasn’t from Derek on her collarbone, not hidden by her sweater. She had apologized to Derek, told him things and apparently they stayed together, but this had led to restrictions for them. No dates that start past 9 PM. Thirty minute texts if they were at the movies, fifteen if they were anywhere else. No being home alone together. No scratches, dents or dings on the Camaro. No going over to Jennifer’s house. The Blakes were notoriously bad parents and let Jen do what she wanted to. 

Danny was a great substitute for Cora though. He hadn’t bowled in a long time but ended up with a 100 as a score. He ate too many cheese fries and talked with Erica’s parents about Hawaii and how organic fruits were helping him regulate his breathing. 

By the time Scott’s mom came to pick up him and Scott he almost didn’t want to leave. Danny was funny and knew a lot about comics. He had confided in Stiles he was mad at Jackson about him being mean to Stiles about wanting to marry Jackson. “Jackson is really nice to me, you know, he’s always been my best friend but I was at his house the night after we got partnered up and I went through all of these pictures and you were in at least ninety percent of them. Him dropping a friend like that was crazy and he had no answers for me when I asked him why he did it. He was just afraid of you liking boys and I don’t want him to do that to me, y’know?” Danny looked at the floor. “No one should be ditched because their best friend likes the same gender.”

“Thanks, Danny. That really means a lot to me. But don’t alienate yourself from your friends because somebody did something when they were ten. I’m sure he was just mad that I still had a crush on Lydia even though she was his valentine. Not like she’s ever given me the time of day.” Stiles trailed off, looking at Mrs. McCall, who was cheerily talking to Kira but had one eye on Stiles. “I really do have to go though. Text me?”

Danny smiled. “Sure thing.”

\---

On the way home, Stiles had an incoming call. Cora’s face, painted like a tiger from the 4th of July picnic, popped up on screen. “Hello?”

“Hey, Stiles, it’s me. I was wondering if there was any way I could come sleep at your house tonight?” If it was any other girl his age – even Erica – his dad would say no, but Cora was an exception. She had done it a bunch before and the guest bedroom was set up so she and Laura could feasibly live there if need be.

“Uh, yeah if you can get a ride. You’re always welcome. Why not go to Kira’s?” Stiles asked out of curiosity. 

“Because … Well just because, okay? Dad’ll drop me off in fifteen.” The line went dead.

“Who was that, Stiles?” Mrs. McCall asked from the driver’s seat.

“It was Cora. She’s going to come sleep over. I think she and Derek had a fight. They’re both missing Laura pretty badly.” Laura was close to Derek even though she never spoke of him to Stiles, and Cora and Laura were pretty much the same person in two bodies. 

“Okay, text your dad and tell him though.”

“On it.”

 _Cora coming over. Had fight with Derek I think. Very upset._ So what if Stiles was exaggerating?

**Ok. No drinking and in bed by 12. No funny business.**

_Ew it’s Cora._

\---

Apparently Stiles wasn’t exaggerating though. By the time he had gotten home, changed into his pj’s and started some bagel bites, Cora was unlocking the door with the spare key and resetting the alarm. When she walked into the kitchen her eyes were red and she had no shoes on.

“I put some bagel bites in and there’s Coke in the fridge.” Stiles said, gesturing at it. Cora liked soda when she was either sad, upset or angry. She looked a combination of the three Cora went for the soda and Stiles grabbed a glass and handed it to her, trading her for the can that he opened while she put ice in her cup. He handed her the can back and she poured the liquid in slowly so it didn’t fizz as much. After a few sips she put the glass down and hopped up on the counter. “What happened?”

“Well, uh, Derek cornered me at home after the game. He asked me if Jennifer had ever teased me,” she had, mercilessly, “and when I didn’t answer right away he yelled at me and stormed up to his room. Mom and Dad thought he knew, y’know, how bad she was and how bad she made me feel and it set me off. I started crying and feeling bad and I could hear him arguing with her on the phone and I just had to get out of there.” She took another sip of the soda, her hand shaking. “I just wish Laura was here to solve all of this. She wasn’t going to push him into dumping her because then he’d just want to date her more and she thought he should make his own mistakes. I just don’t want him mad, y’know?”

Stiles sighed and patted her knee. “It’s okay. I get it, Laura wants him to enjoy school, your parents have done all they can except tell him to break up with her and suddenly he yells at you because his girlfriend sucks? It’s wrong.” He turned and checked the timer for the bagel bites. “Do you wanna go pick a movie? I’ll put those on a plate and make some popcorn. Maybe we can even Skype Laura?”

Cora’s eyes lit up. “I’ll pick one out and text her.” It was only one where Laura was and Laura was a serious night owl. She’d probably pick up right away. “No Fright Night. I am sick of looking at Christopher Mintz-Plasse.”

“What about this ‘Persuasion’ thing then?” Danny had burned Stiles a copy of the movie that he had found online. 

“If you want to watch a Jane Austen movie.” He heard the DVD player open and close and the title music start up. He put the popcorn in and got a plate out. 

It was going to be a long night.

\---

Laura texted back and then immediately got on Skype. They set the movie on high volume and then sat Laura in between them on the couch, covering the keyboard with the middle of their blanket. 

“I cannot believe that idiot is just now realizing how bad his girlfriend is. She told me that the reason I was so mad about me cheating on Camden is because I just wanted to suck his dick.” Laura huffed. Camden had been her best friend since third grade. The Hales thought they would run off and elope one day; Laura thought Camden was an idiot with control issues.

“Actually I think Derek likes someone else too and he’s mad because he’s comfortable with Jen.” Cora added as she bit into a bagel bite. “Fuck, this thing is really hot.”

“Proud to hear you cursing little sister.” Cora had only recently started cursing, as had Stiles. “Man, I wish I was there with the two of you. Only three weeks into school and things are going crazy. Not like I miss high school. College is so much better. There are naps.”

“Man I love naps.” Stiles added, “But not as much as I love Captain Wentworth. Look at that guy.”

The rest of the night was half commentary on how dumb Derek was, half commentary on how tight everyone in the movie’s pants were. It was just like old times.


	5. Costumes & Locker Rooms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles' week starts off well and gets both better and worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay I finished this on time! I also finished my other big work so thank goodness that's over. I wrote in the comments that this should be around fifteen chapters, so that should be it. I was going to add another subplot into this chapter but I decided to just not add more. There are so many people int his thing already! 
> 
> In case you haven't ever read Persuasion, I suggest you check it out! Pretty rad book. If you can't handle Austen herself, Persuading Annie is a pretty good update. That or just read Austenland. Don't watch the movie, it's really off. But quite cute.
> 
> As always, feedback is appreciated. My family/work situation is about to amp up and I will continue updating every two days. Get on me if I do not!
> 
> Love and light from me to you, babes.

Monday started out gloomy and wet. Stiles had spent all of Saturday with Cora, who refused to go home until the Sherriff simply picked her up and put her in the back of the cruiser. This had involved a few expletives from Cora that Stiles was sure his father had never heard come out of her mouth before. In fact, Stiles was sure he had never her say those words before. She had her face plastered against the glass as his dad drove off, a frown on her face.

Two days of radio silence and Stiles was starting to get worried. Laura had been busy all weekend – snapchatting pictures of herself in front of three different theatres, a hotel, and her dorm shower – so Stiles was a little worried something was going on.

Thankfully Cora was in second period, siting facing the board with an unusually large smile on her face. As he walked by, she passed him a note. 

It read **He broke up with her.** Five words, sixteen letters. Stiles was unsure why it made his heart jump, why he felt like the smile on his face was a little manic, a little too much for the breakup of a guy he hadn’t talked to in three years. As Mrs. Kinder started to call roll, Cora turned around and they fist bumped. 

\---

By the time lunch rolled around it was still storming and Stiles scrambled to lay all of his binders and notebooks across their usual table. Stiles didn’t know much about BHHS during rainy days, but in middle school if the seat wasn’t saved, anyone would sit there. Hopefully the good people of this school understood those rules.

Boyd, per usual, was the next one to their table. He tossed Stiles’ Green Lantern notebook back at him, a smile on his face, as he plopped his tray down. Stiles quickly glanced around the cafeteria as people moved around indoors, trying to find their friends. Once he saw Erica talking to the school nurse, he turned to Boyd. “So, Boyd, I’m pretty sure that the Halloween Hop will not be featuring lights that cause people with epilepsy to have seizures. I am unsure that the Fall Fling will do the same thing. Do you get me, amigo?”

Boyd merely raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his milk.

“Seriously, dude? I found the perfect group outfit so you and Kira could come with and we’ll all not have to double up on people. Just ask Erica to the dance, dude. She’s practically in love with you.” Stiles said as Danny approached. “Danny!”

“Hey, Stiles.” He pushed the green folder covered in Robin stickers at Stiles as he sat down. “You texted saying you had a great idea for the dance.”

“Yeah it’s awesome and practical. I’ll wait for everyone though.” Stiles said, bouncing in his seat. He looked up to find Cora but saw her arguing with her brother. He shook his head. He knew Cora would be really into their idea namely because she was the one that had forced him into watching the movies in the first place. 

Erica sat down and traced the Superman ‘S’ on the front of his folder before stuffing it into his backpack for him. “You are too excited, Stilinski. It’s gloomy outside, you’re supposed to be, y’know, sad.”

“How can I be sad when I’m looking at you, Catwoman?” He tittered out and she smacked him on the head lightly. Isaac sat at the same time and instead of tossing the book back at Stiles, opened it and began to skim. It was his notated copy of _Persuasion_.

Kira and Scott joined them, followed strangely by Allison, who looked at the filled seats nervously. The only one open was next to Cora but she hadn’t sat down yet. “You can sit on the end if you need a seat, Allison. Cora will be here in a wink.” Allison looked back at the group which included her aunt and creepy Matt Daehler and slowly sat down, tucking her skirt under her bottom as she sat. “Hi.”

As Scott went to greet her, Cora slammed into her seat. “Stilinski you better give me good news.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Well, I was hanging out with Cora on Friday night and when we were younger we used to watch ‘The Mighty Ducks’ all of the time. Every Friday night, either D1, D2, D3, one time we even watched the TV show…”

Cora elbowed Stiles in the stomach. “Get on with it.”

“So,” he emphasized, “I looked over our group and did a little Google-fu and found a website where you can get the jerseys printed. I contacted them and they said that if we had five or more they’d only be twenty bucks each and free shipping. Plus, you know, we could be cool.”

Kira breathed in heavily, “I love those movies. Could I be Connie?”

“Duh cos Blondie over here clearly has the hair for Julie. Plus she is totally a cat. A kitty kat.” Stiles wiggled his eyebrows at Erica. “I asked Mrs. Kinder if the dance had to have lights that flashed because of students with photosensitivity and she said they didn’t have to have them. She’s the advisor for Freshmen and Sophomore board, don’t you know?”

Erica beamed. “Really? That would be so cool. I’ve always wanted a jersey.” Erica had tried with sports but never made it past the first practice. This way she could have a jersey for herself, even if it wouldn’t have the name ‘Reyes’ on it.

“Scott you could totally be Banks! Or Germaine, or even Goldberg!” Scott raised an eyebrow. “You have totally seen these movies, I know I made you watch them. I’ll pick for you. Danny, any ideas?”

“I’d like to be Banks. Or Wayne.” Danny smiled and Stiles beamed back.

“Awesome, rad choices. Isaac will obviously be Averman,” Isaac shot him a look but Stiles shrugged, “tall enough, awkward enough, plus you have those nerd glasses you stole from Camden that you’ve been dying to wear. I know all.” Isaac shrugged and went back to his food. “Boyd, you’ve seen these movies too, right?” Boyd gave him a withering look. “Cool, who do you want to be, Conway, Jesse, Russ…”

“I’d like to be Conway. That would be cool.” He seemed confused about why Stiles hadn’t just asked him to be Russ or Jesse. 

Allison beat him to the punch. “What about you and Cora?”

Stiles turned his full body towards her. “You, Madame, are looking at the one and only Bash Brothers. I will be Fulton because I break things all of the time …”

“And I will be Portman because I am not a giant idiot.” Cora finished. They high fived. “Stiles used to be Wu way back when we started watching,” before Derek had alienated himself from little sister, “but now Stiles is fully Fulton. The original never broke things anyway. Too much of a weirdo.”

“Fulton is a little weird.” Danny added. Stiles kicked at him under the table. Danny politely stuck his tongue out at Stiles. “What are you going to be going as, Allison?”

Stiles began to devour his sandwich as Allison sat hers down. “I, uh, I was hoping for someone to ask me so that we could go together but I, I think he’s going with someone else. So I don’t really know right now.” She smiled at the table.

“Any guy would be lucky to have you.” Scott said sweetly and it clicked for Stiles. Allison was into Scott, who had no past with Kate and therefore no reason to want to hate him. Scott was still taking his time to ask Kira to the dance. Though Stiles doubted Allison knew that.

“Yeah and if you don’t find anyone, you could just be Conway. Always need a Charlie.” Isaac added. 

Allison gave him half a smile and shrugged. “Maybe. I’ll let you guys know. I might end up going to the Fall Fling though and if I buy a dress for that I don’t think my dad would be cool with me buying a jersey. I’ll think about it.”

Another moment paused before Scott asked, “Wait, how come I can’t be Charlie?” The whole table erupted into giggles.

“Cos, Scott, you gotta be Germaine.” Stiles flicked his eyes between Kira and him. “Ugh, come over after school. We’ll do a rewatch so you actually understand what I am talking about.”

People were so dense.

\---

During gym class, the afternoon announcements came on early to announce the winners of the election. “Hello students,” Jennifer Blake’s unerringly happy voice filtered out, “we hope you have had a wonderful day here at BHHS.”

“Go change!” Coach shouted. “This girl could talk for the rest of eternity if you gave her a chance.”

They all shuffled into the locker room. Today had been a free day, so he and Scott had just been doing sit-ups. Stiles took his shirt off as the talking began to get louder.

“We have the results of the Freshmen Board elections here.” The voice continued, and to Stiles’ surprise it was Jackson who shouted, “Everybody shut up!”

“For secretary we have Miss Harley Stevenson, treasurer Scott McCall,” Stiles whistled and turned pink, “and our President and Vice President team is … Kira Yukimura, sorry if I said that wrong sweetie, and Danny Mahealani. Please report to Mrs. Kinder’s classroom before the first bell tomorrow morning to have a meeting about planning the Fall Fling. Juniors and seniors, remember that your dues for both Fall Fling and Prom tickets are $75 for juniors and $25 for seniors and are due by Friday…”

Stiles took his phone out and texted Danny.

 _CONGRATS_.

“When you text Kira tell her congrats from me too, bro.” Stiles said to Scott as he capped his deodorant and tossed it in his bag. He got a nod. As Stiles pulled the shirt over his head he felt someone tug on his arm, going for his shirt.

Used to this treatment he pulled his shirt on quickly and turned to face his attacker. It was Jackson with a look of … something on his face. Five years ago he could have told you exactly how Jackson felt but now it was like looking at a newspaper in Spanish. “What?”

“When you talk to Danny next, can you tell him I said good job?” Jackson said, clearly uncomfortable with talking to Stiles as if he was worth more than his wallet. 

“Just text him yourself.” Stiles said, pulling on his overshirt. “He really isn’t that mad anymore.”

Jackson sighed. “Says you, you’re the one who got him all angry and weird.”

Stiles slammed his locker shut. “I didn’t do anything. Your karma from being a shitty friend as a kid has finally come back to bite you in the butt. I’m sorry but I don’t control karma.”

Jackson gritted his teeth and flexed his hands. Stiles glanced over his shoulder and saw both Derek and Matt advancing. “Stilinski…” Jackson growled, obviously keening for a fight now.

“Anyways tell Lydia I’m sorry she and Allison didn’t win, always room for them on the actual board, please don’t kill me.” Stiles grabbed his backpack and then Scott’s arm. “’Bye!” He shouted as he pulls Scott towards the bus lot.

\---

Tuesday’s weather matches Monday’s and Stiles ends up on the bus by himself because Mr. Yukimura decided to drive Kira, Danny and Scott to school so they wouldn’t miss their meeting. This meant dragging his feet to the bus stop, putting his backpack on the seat next to him so Jared wouldn’t try anything, and thumbing restlessly through _Persuasion_. He has to sprint into E-Wing, book tucked in his jacket, to make sure he doesn’t get soaked. 

It rarely rains where they live, but when it rains it pours. 

He makes out a figure standing near his locker. “Hey,” Stiles called down the hall. He listens for a response but instead of getting one, he sees the figure stiffen from its position next to the locker. "Don’t freak out or whatever, it’s just Stiles. I’ve been beaten up so many times,” he tells the figure in his journey towards them, “that I should be the one running, not you.”

It’s Derek Hale, his letterman jacket tight across his shoulders and a black hood sticking out of it, that greets him at his very own locker.

“Are you here to beat me up about yesterday or are you helping Boyd ask Erica to the Hop?” Stiles leaned against the locker. Derek had about three or four inches on him, but he was gaining height, and quickly.

Derek shrugged as he readjusted his jacket. “I’m not doing anything.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure?”

Derek looked down the hall toward the intersection where the five halls met. He didn’t respond but as Stiles inhaled to ask another question, he simply asked, “Why wouldn’t Erica just go to the Fall Fling? The Halloween Hop is lame.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Because all of Erica’s friends are underclassmen and we already decided on matching costumes. Boyd’s already going to say yes, I tempted him with Ducks.”

“You’re all going as ducks?” Derek asked, his own eyebrow raised.

“No, like, The Mighty Ducks.” Derek huffed out a laugh. “Well excuse me. I’m sorry that I’ve always been too lame for you. Please allow me to get into my locker.”

Derek clenched his hands as if he was grabbing for something. He looked up and pushed away from the locker. “Whatever.”

Stiles snorted. “Lovely talking to you as well, Derek.”

It wasn’t until he heard new footsteps that he turned from putting his math book away. He had it third and the first third of the class was them going over the homework. That book was heavy so Stiles had just begun to copy the problems onto his homework and went back for his book after lunch was over. He looked over his shoulder to see Danny. “Hey, Danny, what’s up?” He asked cheerfully.

“Nothing. I uh, well before I ask, why were you talking to Derek Hale?” Danny said, gesturing at the back of Derek’s form now fully in C Hall with the rest of the juniors.

“He just lives to torment me, saw an opportunity, took it. Though I have no idea why he was over here to begin with. Is something wrong?” Stiles asked. 

“Oh. Oh, nothing, we’re out of our meeting and I … I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Halloween Hop as my date.” The words tumbled out of his mouth and he looked like he wanted to stuff them all back into his mouth.

Stiles was utterly charmed. He had the ‘I’m a bisexual, Dad, I can’t be tamed’ talk with his father over the summer, so it would be a big shock. But Danny with the big eyes and the cute ‘thanks’ texts liking him, the motor-mouth of their group? What if this was all some ruse pulled by Jackson to expose him as bi to the student population? Not like Stiles cared that much but still, he wouldn’t put it past Jackson to use Danny to embarrass him.

“You can say no.” Danny added on the end. 

“No, I mean yes. Yes I’ll go with you to the Hop.” Stiles said quickly. “It’ll be fun.”

Danny smiled back, “Yeah it will. You’re a really cool guy, Stiles.”

Stiles’ heart didn’t flutter like it said in the storybooks. It didn’t leap to the middle of his throat, his palms were slightly sweaty but that might just be from the rain. Perhaps books lied to him about how it feels to be asked out. “You are too. We should have a really good time. I’ve, I’ve never been on a date before.” He finished quietly. 

Stiles had acne and braces for all of seventh and most of eighth grade, a faint mustache that had finally begun to fill it so he could shave it, and an obsession with sneaking his dad’s aftershave and overdoing it before he got on the bus every morning until Lydia told him he stuck two days before they finished eighth grade. He had only been kissed because Erica had a minor seizure and had told him that if she died at twelve without being kissed she would haunt him.

“Don’t worry it’ll be really cool!” Danny enthused and Stiles believed him. He believed Danny because if this was bad, if Stiles messed up, he would make lunch every day uncomfortable. He didn’t want to make Danny move back to the popular table because they had a bad date. That is just cruel and unusual punishment.

\---

Despite being each other’s dates, nothing changes. Their presentation in English Wednesday earns them an A and Mrs. Kinder takes them aside after class and praises them for their hard work and unique approach to Austen. “I hope both of you consider writing about the differences in Austen’s styles of work between _Pride and Prejudice_ and _Persuasion_ for your essays during this unit. I’ll know if you cheat but you both have such vastly different ideas on the book that I just know that they’ll be totally different papers.”

Stiles and Danny were arguing over whether it was right for Captain Wentworth to take Anne back when Allison sat back down at their table. It was cloudy outside, so about half of the outside people were still inside, but Allison’s normal crew was back outside. Stiles didn’t understand why she sat with them still. Kira and Danny had beaten her and Lydia; was she not competitive enough to want to snub him?

“What are you two talking about?” She asked politely. She had moved to Stiles’ other side to sit across from Isaac. Isaac studied her as she absentmindedly started to braid her hair out of her face.

“We’re talking about _Persuasion_ , by Jane Austen. Have you read it?” Stiles asked. Allison shook her head. “Basically a bunch of outside factors influence Anne Elliot to break off her betrothal to her beloved Captain Wentworth, who is really poor. After a while he comes back around and is still really angry with her about breaking up with him because her family wanted them to. Her family is absolutely awful and treats her badly yet she continues to work for what is best for them and not her. In the end they fall in love again and get reengaged. I, personally, hate this ending. I mean, Anne talks about being faithful when all hope is lost yet she is the one who hurts in him the first place?”

“Ten years is a long time though, Stiles. Don’t you think Anne has lived with the guilt long enough for Wentworth to believe in her feelings, in how she has always loved him? And Wentworth isn’t the most satisfactory gent. He leads Anne into thinking he will be engaged to another woman for a bit.” Danny bites back.

“He is allowed though. She broke his heart, not the other way around.” Stiles sighed. “He does love her but he’s too forgiving.”

“You, sir, are too harsh on people.” Danny said, pointing his sandwich. “Can’t we just make mistakes and forgive each other?”

“This isn’t catching pneumonia and having to inconvenience someone with your presence. This is seeing them about to head into the most difficult part of their lives and letting other people tell you that you just need to let them go, let them sink or swim without your love. It’s stupid. People should support you even if it means a few bad things might happen to them someday. Love is staying with that person through their ups and downs. In sickness and in health. Love is also not breaking promises, is being seen together and holding your head up high. Social or physical wealth shouldn’t hold you back.” Stiles fired back.

“Social wealth, how interesting. Like, if someone was the Homecoming King who fell for the little chess nerd. They’re scared because the chess nerd is awesome but people don’t know that. So hiding them away is just as bad as spurning them?” Allison asked.

“Exactly! If you love someone, you can’t live in fear forever. Or even a little bit. Well I mean, for people who aren’t hetero in an unsafe space, obviously not be totally out all the time and risk your safety. But like here, if you’re not straight and are dating someone, you shouldn’t worry about social wealth. High school comes and goes. People come and go. Being in love, that’s the real deal.” Stiles sighs and looks back at his sandwich. “I guess I just see people who have loved each other so much like my mom and dad and don’t understand why someone would want to deny someone they love the chance to love them back. You can be here one minute and gone the next, why not love like your life is going to end the next day?”

Danny kicks at his foot softly under the table. “That’s actually really romantic.”

“Stiles has been abandoned by enough people. That’s why he has us.” Erica pipes up through a mouthful of her barbequed chicken. “Misfit toys for life.”

It’s what the original four had called themselves in middle school. “Misfit toys for life.”

They all missed Boyd’s furious texting and Cora’s quick look at Kira before she shot out a question. “So, you think Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship is better? Or Emma and Mr. Knightley’s?”

Stiles sighed. “They’re all different, you know? Darcy was afraid of losing his sister, which is equal to his foot-in-mouth syndrome. He’s weird and Elizabeth is so progressive, you know? Wild and free. Emma is just … She’s so wild and helpful. She wants everyone to be in love and cannot see what is in front of her own two eyes.”

“You really like Jane Austen.” Allison commented. 

“My mom really liked her.” Stiles said shyly, “Reading her copies of the books with her notes in them reminds me of her reading to me when we were young. It helps me connect with her, you know?” Allison smiled weakly. “Plus the adaptations that have happened with her books are cool. Like, Clueless? What a rad movie. And _Jane Austen Book Club_ , the book and the movie. I just watch stuff and pretend like if I see it, she gets to see it to.” Stiles coughed to get the pitch of his voice to calm the fuck down.

Cora put her head on his shoulder. “You’re a pretty cool kid, Stiles.”

“Yeah, you are.” Danny adds.

Scott and Kira nod and he knows that Erica agreed with them on the other side of Allison. “Thanks.”


	6. Touchdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A big game changes the game for Stiles and company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY GUYS. To be honest family/real life caught up with me and I honestly shouldn't even have finished this chapter today but I had to. This is where I normally start to lose the plot so keep with me! I made it a little longer than normal so hopefully it'll be better!
> 
> Lots of love and joy to you all! Feedback is wonderful, as are you!

It wasn’t until Thursday at lunch that Stiles remembered that he had wanted to ask Boyd something the day before. “Guys, is Boyd’s football game at home tomorrow night?”

“Yeah,” Cora said, shoving a chip into her mouth. “Derek’s going and he wants me to go.”

“Why?” Scott asked. 

Cora shrugged her shoulders. “He’s weird.”

“Anyway,” Stiles continued, “I was thinking since he’s our friend and all and we’re not going bowling tomorrow night, maybe we could go as a group and support him. Make him a sign and all?” He was mostly betting on them going and that perhaps Boyd will get his unsubtle hints and finally ask Erica to the Halloween Hop. Boyd seemed to be more into their friend group than the whole football team. 

“Could we?” Erica asked, a hint of excitement in her voice. “If we all go I think my parents would let me. I could pick some people up.”

“My mom has the van and if Kira and Isaac ride with Cora, I think we should be good. Is that okay?” Scott asked, a smile on his face. Kira lived only three houses over from Cora and Isaac just a street further down.

“Sure as long as it gets Derek off my back.” Cora shrugged. “Do we all want to meet some place?”

“I can ask my mom if it’s cool if we come to my house. She can probably pick us up from school if Derek wouldn’t mind dropping us off.” Cora shrugged.

“He’d probably have to stick around. Mom doesn’t like it when he’s home alone.” Cora looked at Stiles, who gave her a grimace. “I don’t think Ms. McCall would mind.”

“As long as he stays away from the poster.” Stiles said.

“That’s rich coming from you, Stiles.” Isaac snorted. “You’ll be the one knocking over the glitter and pouring glue on top of it all.”

Stiles tried to kick Isaac under the table but instead ending up catching Danny’s foot. “Obviously I’ll watch, Isaac. At least I’m not colorblind.”

“It’s a genetic disorder, Stiles.” Isaac whined back at him. The whole lunch table dissolved into giggles.

\---

That night the whole group was in a message on Facebook. They were going to dress in school colors and Ms. McCall had agreed to house them. She was unsure about Derek but since he would be with his sister, whom she liked, it would not be a problem. Ms. McCall had been around to see Stiles’ attempt to not be Scott’s friend and using the examples of both Jackson and Derek leaving him as proof of him being a bad person. Isaac had started coming over more and Stiles saw him as a threat to the brotherhood he had perceived between him and Scott. There had been a lot of conversation about real friendships and how honesty was the true key to being a good friend.

Stiles woke up with his first alarm that morning and went through both his nice button up and his burgundy school shirt before deciding on a white school shirt over a burgundy over shirt. By the time he had finished brushing his teeth it was five minutes until the bus arrived. He flew down the stairs and out of his house, barely calling a goodbye to his father. 

Scott was in the same burgundy school shirt that Stiles had tried on earlier but it looked better on Scott. The white cyclone made the shirt look cute on Scott. It made Stiles look dorky. 

“Are you ready?” Scott huffed out nervously. Stiles shot him a grin. They may not be popular or any kind of cool, but they were good friends. Boyd deserved good friends because he made Erica laugh and smile. 

“You betcha, buddy.”

\---

In English they had a substitute who told them to make a character map for _Pride and Prejudice_ , which allowed Erica, Cora and Stiles to plan their poster for Boyd. Admittedly there were a few setbacks – Scott only had white posterboard at their house and red markers, which led an argument over whether Boyd would feel emasculated if they used glitter glue or not. Eventually Erica’s point of Boyd having younger sisters and the fact the glue was both burgundy-ish and black shouldn’t be too bad. Overall it was a good poster – your basic ‘Go Boyd’ and his jersey number with ‘Beacon Hills’ on the bottom if they could fit it.

Cora was in one of Laura’s old girl’s lacrosse jerseys and Erica was in regular t-shirt and jeans. However, she pulled out a burgundy dress and thick black tights from her backpack and spread them on the desk. Her mom and dad would be picking her up from school but only for a quick doctor’s appointment. They had all agreed to eat snacks before Erica got there and Mr. and Mrs. Reyes would give Erica dinner before they went. However she was going to change at the McCall’s, wanting to surprise Boyd. Stiles had a suspicion that Cora was going to pull out her makeup bag and hair materials when Erica’s parents left and that even Erica would be surprised with how she looks. Cora may not be very girly but she had a gift with hair and makeup. 

Probably because Laura had used her as a human Barbie from ages ten to fourteen. 

Lunch was awkward because no one wanted to tell Boyd that they were coming to the game but at the same time wanted to seem a little interested in what was going on. Benign questions about the opposite team and about the other guys on the team seemed to confuse Boyd, who clearly wanted to eat the barbeque sandwich and beans that the school had provided. Eventually the subject was dropped.

\---

Due to something about the opposite team being their ‘rivals’ or what have you, fourth period was cancelled and a pep rally was held in the gym during this time. Scott and Stiles had ran to the gym from their respective third periods and had saved seats on the back right top row of the bleachers. Stiles had spread out various books, Scott’s sweatshirt and even his clean gym clothes around their section and he was happy to see Cora pulling Kira behind her, Kira chattering about something and staring at the ceiling. Erica and Isaac were walking at a more sedate pace and Stiles saw Danny talking to Jackson on the opposite side of the gym.

As soon as Kira and Cora got to the top of the bleachers, Cora shoved Kira at Scott and sat in front of Stiles. “I swear to god, sometimes I think Kira is actually Hermione Granger. She was babbling about how the ceiling in our gym is environmentally friendly.”

“That’s actually kind of cool.” Stiles added as Isaac sat next to Cora, Erica on his other side. Stiles slid his hand through the ends of Cora’s hair as the gym began to fill up. “What do you think Danny and Jackson are talking about?”

“Probably about how you two are going to the Hop together. Jackson wanted an upperclassman to invite Danny. Lydia’s going with one of the meatheads on the football team because she doesn’t want to go to the Hop and look ‘lame’ and Jackson’s going with Kate Argent.” Cora chipped in.

“Well I mean they aren’t on the same night and Danny has to go anyway. He’s the VP for Freshmen Board, either they work it or have a date to it. Danny’s really good with responsibility, I’m sure he’d just rather go to the Hop.” Stiles added as his eyes skidded over the rows of people. He saw Allison Argent looking around the bleachers, one arm tucked under another, and almost waved at her before Kate grabbed her and sat her down. He saw Matt slide onto Allison’s other side and he now truly felt bad for her. The worst thing that could happen now is Jennifer Blake sitting behind her and cutting her hair off during the assembly. 

Stiles saw Derek lurking on the far side of the gym, listening to the conversation that Jackson and Danny were having. He seemed to be focused on the volley of the conversation between the two. “Ask Derek what they’re fighting about.” Stiles nudged Cora with his knee. 

She huffed and got out her phone. “This would be so much easier if you two were friends, you know.”

“That isn’t my fault.” Stiles whispered loudly. Almost as if Derek could hear them, his eyes shot up from their stare and found Stiles. It was almost a glare and even though Stiles knew Derek couldn’t see his face, he put his head down and began to pack his things up in his backpack. 

“Sometimes you have to let things go, Stiles.” Cora said at normal volume.

“Look, its Boyd!” Scott interjected and the whole group looked up to find number two standing at the entrance to the gym, staring at the crowd with his face scrunched up. Scott, as his personality dictated, began to wave. Stiles followed suit – he couldn’t let Scott look like an idiot – and then everyone else followed. The other members of the football team looked confused as to why a group of freshmen were waving at them, but Boyd gave them a small wave back and a smile. 

The Principal got on the microphone and told everyone to get seated. Stiles pulled out his phone to find a text from Danny. 

**can’t go tonight with you guys. Jackson wanted to go and he and Lydia guilted me into sitting with them. said i skipped the last one and that i couldn’t go without them.:/**

_it’s okay. they are your friends too, right?_

**guess so.**

“Phones away, children!”

\---

Overall the pep rally reminded Stiles of a vaguely cheesy teen movie from the 1990’s. Luckily Boyd was not Freddie Prinze Jr in said film and besides watching the cheerleaders do incredibly terrifying things with their bodies and the quarterback of the football team giving a rousing yet not entirely comprehensible speech which ended up with a huddle of the whole team, Boyd stuck somewhere in the middle. 

They were let out ten minutes early and so the group walked over to the parking lot slowly, enjoying the breeze that had picked up during the day and the seventies that were a revelation after a hot summer. “Stiles, are you wearing that to the game tonight?” Kira asked sweetly.

“Uh, yeah,” Stiles said, pulling at his over shirt. “Why, isn’t this spirit-y enough?”

“No, you look fine. It’s just, it’s supposed to get cold later.” Kira said. Kira herself had dressed in a very cute outfit of combat boots, black tights with burgundy roses on them, a black skirt and a white tank top with a jaunty burgundy sweater to top it all off. Though she had the sweater hanging around her neck like she belonged in some wacky country club, she would most likely be warm when they got to the game that night.

“Isaac isn’t wearing anything school related!” Stiles shouted, pointing at his grey cardigan and plain jeans.

“I have my brother’s baseball sweatshirt in my backpack, nitwit.” Isaac sniped back. Sometimes Stiles wished he had been allowed to ask Scott to not be Isaac’s friend anymore. However that meant losing Erica and Stiles liked her too much.

Stiles did the mature thing and stuck his tongue back in his mouth. “Whatever, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Unsurprisingly Mrs. Reyes was the first car in line to pick up her child. Erica sighed and handed her backpack to Cora. “Protect this with your life.” Cora nodded solemnly and Erica walked slowly over to her car, opening the door and sitting down quickly. It was if she was trying to make herself smaller than she actually was in her own car. Stiles didn’t want to question it. 

Stiles could see Ms. McCall about ten cars back and when he turned around to insult Isaac one time, he found himself smacking into a large, muscular being. “Ow!” He cried, pulling his hand into his body. He looked up to find Derek staring at him. “Can’t you go, you know, find some other person to hurt?”

“It wasn’t on purpose.” Derek whispered. 

Stiles snorted and pointed out where Cora was already standing next to Derek’s car, Isaac hovering behind the passenger seat and Kira furiously texting away. Most likely texting Scott. “Your whole crew is waiting for you and Ms. McCall is not that far back. You guys can leave now, Cora knows how to get there.”

Derek grunted. “I know how to get there, too.”

“To Scott’s house?” Stiles said. “That’s weird, considering how you aren’t friends with him.” Derek stayed silent to the point where it made Stiles uncomfortable. He turned back around to grab Scott, who was glued to his phone and had probably not seen his own mother. “See you.” Stiles said to Derek, waving a hand backwards as he dragged Scott towards the car.

\---

The McCall house was nowhere near small but it still felt beyond uncomfortable to know that Derek Hale of all people was sitting in the dining room, his pre-calc homework spread out in front of him as they waited on Erica in the living room. They had offered him a snack but Derek had passed, pulling out a protein bar that looked like it might have peanuts in it. Naturally that meant they had to stay on the other side of the house and open all of the windows. 

Stiles wasn’t letting Scott have an allergic reaction tonight. Scott was finally going to ask Kira to the Hop at the game tonight and Stiles had spent forty five minutes on the phone the night before with Scott practicing the wording that he should use. Stiles could see Scott’s forehead sweating.

That could have been because they were sitting right next to each other. 

Kira was blissfully ignorant of the situation. She and Cora were in the guest bathroom putting on makeup and curling Kira’s hair. Cora had already put hers up in some kind of spirit ponytail and had added Laura’s ribbons from lacrosse. Even Derek was wearing his letterman jacket and a school shirt. Even if it was a black shirt, it was still one for the school.

It was Isaac that broke the silence in the room. “So, Allison Argent got my phone number how and has started to text me.”

“So?” Stiles said, playing Plague on his phone. “Did she forget the homework for something?”

“No, she,” Isaac looked at the door, “I think she’s looking for a date to the dance. I don’t know who to ask though. I was thinking it would be perfect to ask Cora because she’s our friend and also beautiful but …”

“But what?” Scott asked, his face earnest.

“But she’s related to Derek and I’m afraid I’ll piss off Camden if he hears I’m dating someone related to Derek.” Isaac scuffed the floor. “I miss him a lot.”

Isaac understood the pain of losing his mother as much as Stiles did. They didn’t have too much in common but Stiles understood the pain of losing someone that is like family to you when you don’t have a lot. Even though Laura wasn’t related to him he missed her. Luckily her breaks were frequent and pre-scheduled. The Army wasn’t as giving.

“I don’t think Camden would be mad if you asked Cora. I mean, you two are friends and you can go to the dance as friends too, Isaac. Besides I thought Allison was going to the Fall Fling with someone already?”

“Yeah some senior named Ethan asked her but she thinks it’s because Kate pressured him into asking her, not because he likes her. Word on the street is that he –“ Isaac put a hand over his mouth.

“Word on the street is that he what, Isaac?” Stiles asked. 

“Well Allison told me that Ethan told her that he liked Danny. I’m sorry, Stiles, I know you like him too.” Isaac looked truly remorseful, which made Stiles chuckle.

“Danny and I aren’t dating, you know. He can do whatever he wants. If he wants to go to the Fall Fling with Ethan he can. It’s just a casual date, him and I’s thing.” Stiles said. 

“You’re being so weird about this, Stiles. You even told me that Danny said it was a real date and now you’re acting like you weren’t starstruck when he asked you.” Scott interjected. 

“Well I don’t hate Danny, obviously. He’s funny and nice and agreed to read a book that is really long for English class. I’m just saying that I’m not head over heels for him or anything. All he and I have done is text about books and movies. He’s wrong about a lot of them too. Last week he…”

The doorbell rang and Stiles got up like a shot to let Erica in. Erica looked as happy as anyone could be after getting blood drawn. He waved at Mrs. Reyes and grabbed Erica’s snack box, leading her to the kitchen table and then opening it for her. He got her some juice that Ms. McCall had bought just for her and then let her eat in peace. Erica would ask for help if she needed it and only talked about the doctor when bad things happened. Ms. McCall herself would likely be down in a few minutes to check Erica’s temperature and her breathing. 

Stiles realized that Derek had probably finished his protein bar and Stiles hadn’t seen him with a water bottle or a Gatorade. He steeled himself and then entered the dining room. “Hey, uh, Derek.” Derek’s head shot up from where it was bent over his homework. “I, uh, forgot to ask you earlier but are you thirsty? I don’t see a water bottle and you were eating peanut butter so..”

It took Derek a few seconds to process what was just said but eventually his mind kicked into gear and he nodded. “Water, please.”

Stiles gave him a jerky nod and got him a glass of water with two ice cubes and a straw. He remembered that Derek had always used straws when he came over to his house and old dental habits died hard, even if it was just water.

He grabbed a coaster and set the water down where there were no papers. “Uh, here you go. If you want a refill the ice is on the left side and the water filter’s the cleanest water in the house.”

Derek looked at the water, then at Stiles, then at the water again and nodded. Stiles started to walk back into the kitchen when he heard a soft ‘thank you’. 

It was nice.

\---

The poster took them ten minutes to outline and glue and forty minutes to dry, which is when Cora and Kira played dress up Barbie with Erica. Eventually the boys turned the TV on and were coasting through a random Food Network marathon when Derek came to the door, his backpack over his shoulder. All three boys looked at him.

“Can I watch TV with you guys,” he paused for a secon, “please?”

Scott and Isaac both looked at Stiles, who was sitting between Scott and the edge of the loveseat. Isaac sat in the chair on Scott’s right and so Derek would have to sit on Stiles’ left in the other chair. “Sure.” Stiles said simply, his eyes glued to the crushing of Twinkies on the screen as the other boys watched him. 

\----

They left the house at a quarter past six, making it to the high school at six thirty. Before they left the car, Ms. McCall turned around. “Everybody have their phones charged?”

“Yes.” Three voices echoed back.

“Everybody knows who to call in case of emergency?”

“Yes.” The three voices groaned back.

“Erica do you have your kit on you?”

“Yes ma’am.” Erica answered softly. She always had her ID bracelet on so it wasn’t that bad.

“Then get going. Have fun, I’ll be back around ten fifteen for you two.” She pointed at Stiles and Scott as they unbuckled. Scott hopped out and Stiles handed him the poster from next to Erica then hopped out and offered Erica a hand. She looked wonderful in her nice flats, her dress and a black cardigan that had come from someone’s house over her arm.

They met the rest of their group at the gate. They all got tickets with the normal disarray of a group who wants to talk over each other. The poster itself looked magnificent – fun and easy to read but still a little crafty. 

“Where should we sit?” Erica asked as they got past the guards. 

“Close to the exit and in the middle so the light doesn’t shine on us directly but you can still see.” Isaac pointed at the bleachers. They all hustled over to the area and sat down. The popular section, which included girlfriends of guys on the team, was dead center and front row. Stiles spotted Lydia, Jackson and Danny on the second row. The first row was comprised of both Argents and Jennifer Blake. 

Surprisingly Derek clunked down next to Stiles instead of going towards them. 

“Are you lost?” Stiles asked as kindly as he could.

Derek turned and gave Stiles a murderous look. “No.”

Stiles raised his hands. “Sorry, I was just asking an innocent question. Normally you wouldn’t be caught dead with the likes of people like us.” Derek raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak. “Come on, people with no social wealth? You’ve spent the last three years building it up, why waste it on a night where our whole goal is to get Boyd to ask Erica out?”

Derek rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the field. He felt Cora bump his shoulder and he turned to see her roll her eyes as if to say, _don’t bother_. Stiles shrugged and watched as Erica methodically flattened her paper, talking to Isaac in low tones. 

\---

Little did they know that the game didn’t really start until 7:15 and by that point Boyd was on the bench, the other team on offense as Boyd gazed longingly from the sidelines. It was only when the other team was stalled halfway across the field did Cora ask a weird question.

“Stiles, what does being in the closet mean?” She asked sweetly.

Stiles turned and shot her a look of vengeance, a look of _I know where you sleep at night_ but she just kept her smile up. “It means someone who denies their sexuality to themselves and to others.”

“Are you in the closet?” Cora asked. Isaac snorted from where his head was rested on the knees of her jeans and Erica turned around, awakened from her Boyd-staring stupor. 

“What?” She asked. “What was funny?”

“Cora asked me if I was in the closet and the answer is obviously no, Cora. I am completely out of the closet, but as a healthy, bisexual male. Why, are you interested?” He flickered his eyelashes.

“Ew, no.” She said, shoving at his shoulders and looking at something behind him. “So you’re not experimenting and using Danny as a subject, right?”

“No, Cora. I’ve known I was different since,” since I thought your brother was cute when he got gum stuck in his braces, “since Jackson told me I was weird for not caring if I married a boy or a girl. Simple as that.”

“But are you and Danny like, serious, or are you bearding for him and someone else?” Cora asked.

“How do you know what bearding is if you don’t know what being in the closet meant?” Stiles asked. Cora shrugged, her face innocent. “I’m texting Laura about this, but no, I am not bearding for him. Nor am I anything besides his Hop date but I’m starting to think maybe he isn’t going to go.”

“Why not?” Kira asked innocently. She knew nothing about the betrayal of both Derek and Jackson and it was at that very moment he remembered the person sitting directly next to him.

“I just heard an upperclassman had an eye on him and I don’t know if his parents will pay for a suit and a jersey. Plus he’s Jackson’s best friend and though he’s great, he might just pull a Carrie and cover me in sludge or something.” Stiles snorted. 

“He wouldn’t do that though!” Kira said adamantly. “You’re so nice to him. In your own way, I mean.” Kira corrected. 

A whistle blew and BHHS’ offense was on the field. Erica stood up as the popular section did, slowly putting up her sign. Cora stood up and shoved the sign up higher and hollered, “Go Boyd!” 

As Boyd turned, they all stood up and Stiles watched as Boyd glanced around and saw the glaringly white poster in the fake light with his name and number on it. Stiles swore he saw a smile under there.

\---

It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Stiles realized he was cold. Everyone else had pulled on their jacket and scarves and Stiles cursed himself for not bringing anything heavier. He just didn’t want to run home and come back to find Derek Hale on his half of the loveseat, laughing with Scott about the time Stiles ate fifteen glue dots and then puked.

As the opposing team’s offense took the field after another BHHS touchdown, Stiles felt something being pushed into his hands. He looked down and it was Derek’s letterman jacket, complete with his name engraved and a little patch from last year’s varsity win. Stiles looked at Derek but he was busy watching the game. 

Too cold to fight, he pulled it on and buttoned it up, sticking his hands in the pockets to find them not only warmed but with little hand warmers in them. Unthinking he pulled one out and pulled at Derek’s arm until Derek let it rest in his lap and opened his fingers, shoving a hand warmer in them. When Derek looked up Stiles smiled at him.

Laura probably had told Derek to be nice and Stiles wanted to hate him for that. The jacket was too warm for hatred.

\---

Beacon Hills won the game 40-21 and as the fans cleared the bleachers, they all checked their phones. It was barely ten and as they were walking towards the parking lot, both Erica and Derek got texts. 

“Boyd wants us to wait in the parking lot.” Erica said, reading from her low-glare screen.

“Yeah I’m going to drive him home.” Derek said, shoving his fancy phone in his pocket. Derek’s black shirt had long sleeves so Stiles was still okay with keeping his heavy jacket. 

They all moved out to the parking lot and stood around the Camaro as they waited for Boyd. Erica’s parents were already at the school but had faith in her friends and would wait. Sometimes Stiles thought they desperately wanted Erica to be normal and other days it felt like they wanted to baby her forever. Luckily tonight was a ‘normal’ night. 

Erica pulled out a pack of gum and put a stick in her mouth, chewing slowly as the rest of them dissolved into chatter.

“So,” Derek said awkwardly as Stiles watched Scott pull Kira to the side, “do you and Danny have matching costumes for the Hop?”

“We all do,” Stiles said, distracted by watching Scott rub the back of his neck, “we’re all going to be The Mighty Ducks. Technically I’m matching with Cora. We’re gonna be the Bash Brothers.” Boyd approached the car and Stiles turned away as he walked up. “You’re going to pretend to talk to me but tell me what they’re doing, okay? This can’t go wrong for her.”

“She’s giving him the poster, he’s thanking her and … I can’t hear what they’re saying.” Derek continued, squinting in concentration. “He’s, uh, taking off his jacket and offering it to her … She’s putting it on. They’re, uh, talking with their faces close and … I think he just asked her to the dance? Yep, he did, now they’re kissing.” Derek’s eyes darted back to Stiles’ face.

Stiles then realized he was wearing Derek’s jacket, but before he could start taking it off Cora started to talk. “Derek, can you turn the car and the heat on?” She complained, Isaac hovering behind her, his face buried into the neck of Camden’s hoodie.

Derek looked from Cora to Stiles and then nodded quickly. He folded himself into the car as Stiles watched. Derek handled the car with care, easing the gear shift into neutral and hitting the heat buttons carefully. 

Stiles’ phone lit up and he looked at it. A text from Ms. McCall’s number. “Scott it’s time to go!” Stiles shouted, not venturing a glance over there.” He scrolled through his others and sighed. “You too, Erica, your mom needs you to go to bed on time.” That was a code taking her meds that they came up with. 

All of the couples disengaged and it wasn’t until Stiles was safe in Ms. McCall’s backseat that he realized he had walked off with Derek’s jacket.

_tell your brother I’m sorry I took his jacket._ he texted Cora.

**he says it’s cool.**

_tell him I can wash it and get it back to him on Monday._

**seriously stiles it’s not a biggie. laura says you have no srs winter jackets n e ways. incentive to buy one.**

_whatever it’s because Laura wants me to come to NYC with your family to visit in December. I will not go to the land of ice and snow._

**w/e weirdo.**

Well at least the jacket smelled nice.


	7. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Receiving mixed signals, Stiles tries to remain himself under strange circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay it's on time! Boo it isn't as long as the last one. I should be able to really work on this more. I'm truly thinking fifteen will be the magic number.
> 
> This chapter is again world building. I'm sorry I'm taking such a long time! Feedback on my George RR Martin-ness is appreciated.
> 
> Lots of love to you all!

By Sunday Stiles still hadn’t gotten over the fact he was in possession of Derek Hale’s letterman jacket. It wasn’t special per se but it was still weird to touch one. Laura didn’t have one and Camden had been weirdly possessive of it. Stiles was pretty sure it was framed in a shadowbox in his room now that he was at Camp Lejeune. Which reminded Stiles of the letter he should write to Camden. Erica had called him yesterday and after her word vomit about Boyd and what he had said on Friday night (Stiles already knew all of it, he was five feet away), she had reminded him that she was sending out the packet of letters on Wednesday. Erica argued that it would be cheaper if they all mailed them together and took turns paying for postage. 

Stiles didn’t really care either way. Of all of their friend group Camden was the southern pole to Stiles’ northern. Camden was kind but always seemed to have nothing in particular to say to Stiles. They were friends but they knew nothing deep about one another. Camden was their ride, their guide to sneaking candy into the movies, teaching them what restaurants had specials on what days. Stiles had written the advice down with his own little comments. He didn’t have a younger sibling but maybe someday a freshman would need advice on how to survive Beacon Hills on a budget.

As he sat down to write his letter, his laptop beeped with an incoming Skype call. Laura’s face flashed on screen and Stiles pulled the laptop closer to him. The letter could wait. He clicked accept.

“Hey, what’s shakin’ bacon?” Laura greeted loudly into the phone. She was, for no reason, wearing sunglasses and a hula hat.

“Uh, nothing. Are you feeling alright?” Laura was known for weird behavior and throwing oddly themes parties at her Uncle Peter’s apartment but this was just strange.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?” Stiles pointed at his head. “Oh, well I stole this from a fraternity pledge so I’m keeping it until he either brings me cake or gets punished for losing it. How’s home?”

“It’s … good?” He said. Realizing it sounded more like a question then a statement, he cleared his throat. “It’s actually kind of weird. Danny asked me to the Halloween Hop,”

“I know, Cora texted me and told me about it.” Laura interrupted.

“And it’s nice, you know, to be noticed. Then we made Boyd a sign for the game he had on Friday, cos I wanted him to ask Erica to the dance, and we all went. Derek had to come because he was driving Cora but he also sat with us. He was being weird.” Stiles said, glancing at the jacket hanging off the back of his door.

“When isn’t Derek weird?” Laura huffed. 

“No like, really weird Laura. Cora asked me all these really weird and personal questions about coming out and being bi and visibility and I think it made Derek uncomfortable. Then he was like ‘take this’ and pretty much put his jacket on me.” Stiles glanced at it again. “You can’t put letterman jackets in the washing machine, can you?”

Laura snorted. “No, Stiles. That’s a nice thought though. Derek gets his dry cleaned every three weeks.” Then Laura paused. “He didn’t ask for it back?”

“No, which is totally weird because I never saw Jennifer wear his varsity jacket. Or that other girl that he dated his freshman year.”

“Paige.”

“Yeah that one. Well maybe he just never had the opportunity to give it to Jennifer since they dated all summer and it was hot.” Stiles synthesized. That made sense. Plus if they went to a movie she’d probably just wear his hoodie. If Derek even brought it. Derek loved being cold.

“No he really loves that thing.” Laura took her sunglasses off. “So, are you excited for your date with Danny?”

Stiles shrugged. “I mean I feel like a twelve year old at the Valentine’s Day Dance, watching somebody who’s looked past the acne and the braces and decided I was cute enough to warrant a slow dance to Lips of an Angel without realizing the song was about cheating.”

“You truly are the weirdest wizard of your age.” Laura said, her fingers sending a text on her phone.

“I mean I just feel like a late bloomer, you know? I’m fifteen and the only other person I’ve kissed is Erica. Erica cut her lip on my braces and had to go to the school nurse. And Danny … I mean he’s friends with Jackson, you know? I mean, so is Derek but Derek is also a total jerk so it doesn’t really matter. Jackson’s a jerk too and what if this is all some elaborate prank to make me look like a total dork in front of the school? My life is not ‘She’s All That’, Laura. I don’t even have glasses!”

“Cora has been telling me that he’s really into you though. Like, as soon as you all got partnered up for English it’s as if all of his other obligations are gone and you and your friends are his only friends. Hell, I heard he turned down a senior twice for you.” Laura wiggled her eyebrows.

“I’m just .. I’m just kinda nervous. I mean this Kira girl is really great for Scott and I like that Boyd actually is into Erica and does not think of her as a little sister like Camden did. Isaac is stuck between asking Cora to the dance and just going with Allison Argent.”

Laura frowned. “He wants to ask Cora?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that time she ate a whole box of Swiss Rolls at lunch actually impressed him.” Isaac was a black hole of food and books, so when Cora showed an interest in both, he had started to show an interest in her. “The two of them are never alone together though and this Allison girl is new and nervous and I guess he feels obligated? They have a class or two together and plus she’s related to that horrid Kate…”

“Kate? Kate who?”

“Katie Argent changed her name to Kate. She’s just like Kate on Lizzie McGuire now. She pushes her boobs in Matt Daehler’s face and he literally fell to the ground so she could walk over a mud puddle last week. I don’t know Allison from Eve but I don’t think she likes it. She has sat with us at lunch a couple of times.”

“Is she like Katie?” Laura asked, her fingers gliding across her phone screen.

“I, uh, don’t know. You’d have to ask Isaac or Scott. I’ve met her a handful of times and I mean, she just lost her grandfather. She just seems sad.” Stiles sighed. “Are you just going to text the whole entire time? I can just text you instead.”

“No! No. Sorry kiddo, I’m just talking to Cora about what you’re all doing for the Halloween Hop. I’ll pay attention to you.” She slid her phone out of viewing area.

Stiles sighed. “Well…”

\---

Monday morning came and Stiles woke up with the dawn, restless. The jacket on the door taunted him as he changed clothes. He felt it staring at him as he brushed his teeth and peed. He almost closed the en-suite door to feel like he had some peace of mind.

He was dressed and down eating a bowl of Cheerios when he realized he couldn’t just shove Derek’s jacket in his backpack or just carry it on the bus. Jared would see it and he talked as often as he puked and Stiles Stilinski carrying a letterman jacket with ‘Hale’ embroidered on it would be a big scandal as Derek breaking up with Jennifer.

Probably bigger. No one even knew Stiles and Derek were pretend friends before.

_ask your brother what I should do with his jacket._

Stiles had finished packing his lunch and had pulled on his backpack when he got a text.

**he asks if you’ve left your casa.**

_nope, about to head to scott’s and then the bus stop._

**derek is gonna pick u up.**

Stiles sighed. _not leaving scott on bus alone. will get puked on._ There was a pause and Stiles took it to go upstairs and grab Derek’s jacket. _i can leave it on my porch._

Still no response after a minute and the bus stop time grew closer. Stiles grabbed the unused coat rack and began to drag it behind him. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Two new texts.

 ** _where r u?_** Eloquent, Scott.

**d says scott can come too.**

Stiles sighed. He replied back to Scott first. _come to the house, Hales are giving us a ride._

He texted Cora back after pulling the coat rack back in. _tell him thank you._

**yw, boo.**

**_why? but okay._ **

Stiles rolled his eyes. 

\----

Scott understood why they were getting a ride from Derek when he saw the jacket in Stiles’ arms. Scott sat on the porch while Stiles saw the minutes tick by on his phone. Fifteen until school started and Stiles was worried that they had been stood up. As he went to ask Scott if they should call his mom, he heard a screech of tires. He turned and saw Derek, tight black shirt and aviators, staring through his window at them. 

Stiles scrambled for the car and he heard Scott wheezing behind him. The car was a four door and Stiles opened the door and slid across the tight back seat. Scott carefully closed the door behind him and Derek peeled away from the curb.

Stiles clung to the jacket though he was warm. The weather was not overly warm but the sunrise would warm him up. He had a hoodie on today though. He watched Derek drive for a little bit, then looked at Scott. Scott was staring at the cars going by. Sometimes he wished he was like Scott, able to enjoy the simple things. Instead he was fixated on a jacket. 

They pulled into the school lot with exactly seven minutes to spare. Scott hopped out of the car and sped towards his first class, which was on the other side of campus. Stiles, luckily, was in the C wing, which meant he could take his time. He had his books in his bag already and he figured he could lug them around for just one day. 

He checked that his phone was on silent and then got out of the car. Cora had spotted someone and had begun to walk towards them, but Derek hung back. He stood, a high school god, his face tilted towards the sunrise. Stiles was in awe.

“D-d-derek, here’s your jacket back.” Stiles said, offering it to him carefully. Derek looked at the jacket, then at Stiles, then at the jacket again. “Laura said I didn’t need to get it cleaned and it’s been hanging up all weekend. I’ll pay for any damage that I did to it.” Stiles took a deep breath, ready for a fight.

Instead Derek carefully took his jacket and slid it on. Stiles smiled and started the walk towards class.

About ten feet later Derek caught up with him. “What class do you have first?”

“Ancient Civ with Dr. Reed. He’s pretty funny.” Stiles looked around and saw people scattered about, talking before their classes. No one was staring at them. “You?”

“Economics with Coach. He is more hilarious in class then he is in gym.” They reached the main doors and Derek held it open for Stiles as he stepped in. “See you later.”

Stiles nodded but didn’t understand what that meant.

\---

Monday passed by in a filter of monotony. He wrote his letter to Camden during Ancient Civ. If there was one thing Stiles could do, it was write something and pretend like it was notes. Stiles had spent all of fifth grade obsessed with Egypt, so the sometimes incorrect lecture on their society bored him.

He told Camden of the patterns of life at school, about the Hop and them all dressing up, about how much Isaac missed him and about the football game. He was sure Erica was going to write him a novella just about the past couple of weeks but maybe Camden would like to not hear about Boyd’s big brown eyes or his funny laugh.

Stiles hoped it was good enough.

Danny didn’t join them for lunch.

\---

Tuesday morning was equally as boring. He found himself doodling in Civ and passing notes with Cora in English. Mrs. Kinder almost gave them detention but she saw that the whole class was doing it and then just tapped her nose. He was supposed to be outlining his paper.

Lunch was a different story. Like most early autumn days in northern California it was balmy and mid-seventies. People flocked to the courtyard like birds to the south. 

Derek Hale was not among them. 

Stiles had started to eat his pretzels with vigor when a figure slid into the seat across from him. Unthinking, he nodded and said, “Hey Danny.”

“I’m not Danny.” The person replied and Stiles looked up to see Derek Hale unpacking what looked like a portable TV tray from his backpack. It was filled with grilled chicken, hummus, carrots and cucumbers. 

Derek trained a lot for baseball, Stiles remembered Laura saying, even in the off season. The Derek Stiles knew was obsessed with pizza and medium-rare burgers.

“Are you lost?” Came out of Cora’s mouth as soon as Stiles thought to say it.

“No.” Derek said gruffly at Cora. They had a conversation which ended when Isaac sat down next to Erica. Stiles couldn’t blame him for not wanting to sit next to Derek. 

The final change to their table was Allison Argent sliding into Isaac’s normal seat. She flashed him a smile and then turned to Stiles. “I hope you guys don’t mind. I had a horrible fight with my aunt and Lydia this weekend. I – I don’t want to sit outside.”

Stiles nodded. “I feel you. Sometimes I want to not sit with Scott but then I remember he’d follow me around like a puppy if I sat somewhere else.”

Scott, who had heard his name, pouted. “I would totally let you have your space, bro.”

“Yeah for like twenty seconds. Two words buddy – hot Cheetos.” Stiles laughed as Scott grimaced.

“That was my fault, okay? I didn’t know putting Cheeto dust in your eyes would make them die a terrible death.” Everyone cracked up. Even Derek snorted a little, which for Derek meant laughing hysterically.

Or it used to.

Stiles saw Danny sitting in between Ethan and Jackson outside. He wondered if this sudden turn towards his old group meant that Stiles was once again single for the dance.

Whatever, it was still a month away. Danny and he weren’t super close. He was allowed to do what he wanted with his life without Stiles of all people judging him.

\---

It wasn’t until Thursday afternoon that things got weird. Mrs. McCall pulled Scott out of PE for a doctor’s appointment and Stiles was incredibly worried as he quickly dressed in the changing room. He was retying his normal shoes when a hand came down on his shoulder. 

Let the record show he had a manly screech and not a scream when he realized someone was touching him. He turned and saw Derek looking at him. “You just scared the shit out of me, dude!”

Derek shrugged. “Do you want a ride home?”

Stiles’ eyes bugged out. Why was Derek asking him if he wanted a ride home in the middle of the boys’ locker room? Anybody could see them and then Derek would have to call him out in public. Stile began to breathe a little deeper. He’d gone four weeks without getting put into a trash can, he couldn’t have that happen again. He wasn’t claustrophobic but he just wanted to smell like himself and not rotting cheese.

“Stiles? Stiles. You don’t have to say okay.” Derek said softly and Stiles jerked back into reality.

“Are you being serious?” Stiles asked. 

Derek rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

“Does Cora mind?” Stiles reached for his phone.

Derek shook his head. “She’s going to Kira’s tonight. They’re having some sort of girl’s night going on.”

“Sure. That’d be really great, Derek.” 

Another successful avoidance of Jared.

\---

Stiles had never thought he’d ride in the front seat of Derek’s Camaro. He’d had dreams about this car but instead of being in the passenger side, they involved someone stealing it and chasing him down with it. Maybe that someone was Jackson.

Maybe Stiles had cried when he woke up from that dream.

About halfway to Stiles’ house, Derek turned the volume down. “Can I, uh, ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“You were telling Cora about how you, uh, came out. How did you know?” Derek’s ears were turning red.

“How did I know to come out?” Stiles asked honestly.

“No, how did you know it was the right time?” Derek continued. It was weird that he wasn’t adding conditionals onto his phrases. Normally someone would say ‘for my friend’ or ‘no homo’. 

“I didn’t, really. My dad just kind of knew when I came home crying because Jackson thought it was dumb for me to want to marry him over Lydia. He always left literature around and let me read books about whatever during middle school. My sexual education was a strange one.” Stiles chuckled. He’d read more books about trans people and coming out stories then he had books about Egypt.

“And he just understood?” Derek continued.

“Yeah, any parent who wants the best should. Or at least that’s what my dad said.” Silence came after this and Derek seemed fixated on something besides driving. 

When they reached the driveway, Stiles opened the door and turned back. “You know, it doesn’t really matter why you’re asking me this but everyone deserves to be happy. Hiding behind a façade will just hurt that person in the end. Thank you for the ride. Again.”

With that, Stiles turned heel and went inside. He saw Derek’s car idling in his driveway long after he locked the door.


	8. The Tipping Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything in Stiles' life has started to change. When Cora needs his help, Stiles saves the day. Or does he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back on track! Looks like it might end up being longer than expected (ugh why me) but I should still be done by mid-July even at this pace! 
> 
> This chapter isn't totally as focused on Stiles but it was something I had planned out when writing the first chapter. High school is hard and thus relationships are as well. I really think the internal monologues of characters are important to paint, no matter whether they are the main or side character. I also think it adds to the story.
> 
> ALSO LITHIUMREAPER (can't use this site worth a damn so no link) WROTE ME A STORY. (Also there is a gift section wtf). It's pretty short but all of her comments have been so helpful (all of your comments have lbr) so if you want some PWP that you aren't getting here, go read her story!
> 
> Lots of love to you all. Hope I don't disappoint!

Friday was full of the same nervous energy it always had. Stiles had a pop quiz in Ancient Civ and an in-class journal on the symbolism of _Pride and Prejudice_ in English. After he had sat down at the lunch table, he was already on his phone looking at the weather for the weekend. If it ended up being rainy it meant that Boyd could work at the alley tonight. That meant that Stiles wouldn’t have to freeze certain parts of himself off going to the ice skating rink on Saturday. 

It was surprising that Danny sat down with them. Without Boyd the conversation normally reverted back to inside jokes, stories with missing words in them and random trivia questions that they had collected since they last had trivia night. Stiles was halfway through the story about him eating half a sand castle when he first went to the beach when he realized Danny was sitting across from him, engaged in his story. Danny reacted to his shock.

“I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you all since last week. Jackson’s having a hard time with some stuff and needed me.” He said with a hint of shame in his voice.

Stiles shrugged, “Whatever. You’re allowed to sit with them, you know? They were your friends first.”

“No, they were your friends first,” Cora said softly to Stiles. He elbowed her. “That hurt!” She screeched, pawing at him.

Stiles continued his story but it seemed to have lost its sparkle.

\---

Stiles was in the middle of Facebook chatting Erica about the weather (it was going to rain but she refused to believe it and wanted to go to the game) when his phone rang. It was Cora so he picked up. “What’s happening, hot stuff?”

There was about half a minute of heavy breathing into the phone before he realized she was crying. “Cora, Cora, what’s wrong?” His answer was a sob. “Okay, where are you?Are you alone?”

“Yes.” Came a soft reply.

“Where are you?” He asked again softly.

“I’m walking to your house, I’m about halfway there.” It was a fifteen minute drive, which meant a forty five minute walk for Cora. 

“Okay I’m going to get my dad to drive to Spruce Street next to the library. Are you close to that?” With confirmation he walked downstairs. “Hey, Dad, can you go pick up Cora?”

His dad looked up from his bowl of Cheerios. “Is she hurt?” Stiles shrugged. “What about her parents?” Stiles shrugged again. 

“She’s not really telling me anything but she’s trying to walk over here. I told her you could pick her up from the library on Spruce?” It was at most a ten minute drive, five if there was no traffic.

His dad nodded and got up from the table. He wasn’t dressed for the night shift yet so he grabbed the keys to the old Jeep that he only used for emergencies and cranked it up. Stiles turned back to the phone. “Are you still there?” Cora sniffled in response. “We’re on our way. Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?”

“Yes.”

\---

The drive was thankfully quick and painless. However Cora had been subjected to sports-talk radio and that was probably not something you wanted to hear when you were incredibly upset in public. The Jeep only picked up three channels and though his dad could have put on pop music he had waggled his finger at Stiles when he had gone to change it.

His dad was incredibly weird.

Cora was sitting on a bench in front of the library with one of Laura’s lacrosse hoodies on. It was pulled up over her face and her only distinguishing characteristic was her dark hair poking out from under it. When his dad stopped in front of her she didn’t even look up from the ground, just hung up the phone and got in the car. 

Stiles felt he should say something, something funny and smart that would make her laugh and distract her. But this wasn’t like the time Cody James had cut all her hair in the back in seventh grade – this was something serious. 

The ride back to the house was silent except for the debate on the radio about the Cowboys and Bears game on Sunday. Cora wasn’t crying but her breaths were unusually slow and deep, a method of calming she had picked up from helping Stiles through his panic attacks. Cora had never been prone to panic or anxiety but Laura was her rock, her lodestone, and without her around things may have shifted without Stiles really noticing.

His dad parked and Stiles opened the door for Cora and led her into the house. She leaned on him heavily, something she would normally be incredibly against. Once they were in the house and Stiles had gotten her a glass of water with only two ice cubes, she looked determined. Stiles sat next to her on the couch, his right hand palm up.

“I know that last week those questions about coming out must have been hard to answer and everything…” She paused and took a sip of water, “But I – I can’t lie to myself anymore.” Well this is not where Stiles thought this was going. “I, I was over at Kira’s yesterday and she was curling my hair, talking about how I should buck up and ask Isaac to the dance myself and I realized the only reason I was letting her do any of it is because I love her.” She took a deep exhale out. “I’m in love with her. She always talks about how she sees us as sisters, as best friends but now I’m seeing her with Scott, happy, and I feel like my whole world is crashing down.” The heavy breathing picked up again. “I want her to be happy but I want me to be happy, too, you know? And then on the drive home Derek kept talking about ‘how do you know if you’re not straight’ and all of this other weird shit that’s been on his mind too and … and I miss Laura.” A sob came up and wracked her body with its intensity. “Derek was on Skype with Laura and I just realized that she isn’t here. She isn’t here to talk me through this and she isn’t like this, or at least she’s never told me about it. Besides she’s been preoccupied with Derek and his weirdness and I’m just so afraid.” The end of the sentence petered off into a whisper.

“Scared of what, Cor?” Stiles asked softly, taking his right hand and patting her knee.

“Scared of my parents hating me.” She said softly.

“Your parents wouldn’t hate you if you like girls. Have you ever liked any other girls?” Cora shrugged. “Have you ever liked any boys?” Cora sighed and nodded. “Well you never know who you are but your parents love you anyway. I know they do. Look at Derek, he’s one of the biggest weirdos I’ve ever met and they still love him.” Cora laughed and hiccupped. “Did you tell Derek you were leaving?” Cora shook her head. Though all the Hale siblings were old enough and allowed to be out without adult supervision, they were all weirdly alert of where the other was. “Do you want to call him? Text him?”

She shook her head but offered him her own phone. “Could you call him for me? If it’s cool with you, have him come over, we can talk about it here. I don’t – I don’t want my mom or dad to hear it.”

Stiles knew he couldn’t sigh or goof around with this like he normally could. This was serious. He took the phone. “Do you want to go wash your face? That’s what I do when I cry a lot.” 

She nodded and headed towards the downstairs bathroom.

Stiles fiddled with the phone but he had no reason to be nervous. Cora didn’t have a passcode and Derek was under her favorites on her contact sheet. As he hit call he took a deep breath in. 

It took Derek no time at all to pick up. “Cora, why are you calling me from downstairs? I told you that you could sit with us.”

Before Derek could go on further, Stiles inserted himself. “It isn’t Cora. It’s, uh, Stiles?”

“How did you get into my house?” Derek said, his voice much lower than ususal. It almost sounded like Derek was … it didn’t matter.

“I didn’t. Cora – Cora would like you to come over to my house. She’s having a problem and she doesn’t feel safe talking about it at your house.” Stiles hoped he phrased that right.

“Is she pregnant? I swear to god, I’ll kill that Lahey kid…” Derek muttered.

“No, Derek, Jesus! She’s fourteen!” Stiles shouted in the phone. Derek could be such an asshole. Stiles bit his tongue as a million insults came to the front of his mind. Stiles knew that Derek had lost his virginity to Paige O’Malley his own freshman year on a picnic blanket in the Preserve. Stones at glass houses. “Just come over, okay? ASAP.” Stiles hung up before he could get another snappy remark. 

\---

Cora and Stiles were playing War when Derek finally deigned to show up a good twenty five minutes later. Stiles’ dad let him in, giving him what Stiles assumed was an exaggerated look at his gun. Stiles may be starting to get over Derek’s betrayal but he was sure his father would never do so. 

“Stiles,” his dad called, “I’m heading out to work. I left you twenty bucks, make sure you tip the pizza guy this time. Cora can stay if she likes. Derek,” he said more sedately, checking his service rifle.

“Bye, Dad.” Stiles shouted.

Derek wandered into the living room, looking softer than normal, his hair wet from the rain that had started. He looked a little confused as well, the wet hair hanging in his face closer to a drowned puppy than an angry megalomaniac. “Hi?”

“We’re almost done, Cora’s kicking my ass. You can get yourself something to drink if you want, you know where the fridge is.” Stiles was tempted to tell him ‘you know where the liquor cabinet is’ but Derek was driving at least himself home later.

The few minutes Derek took for himself in the kitchen were enough for Cora to sweep him and then shuffle the cards and put them away. When Derek reentered, Cora and Stiles were sitting leg to leg on the couch. Next to Cora there was a cushion for Derek. Cora gripped tightly onto Stiles’ hand as Derek sat down. 

“So, Derek, before we start,” Stiles said, his hand slowly losing feeling, “I’m going to tell you first that she is not pregnant nor are we in any sort of sexual relationship.” This made Cora laugh. “What, this makes me feel like we’re in a romance novel and I’m asking for your lone family member for your hand in marriage.” This made her snort. “Anyway, Cora is gonna take it from here. If you get angry you’re allowed to have your own feelings but do not yell at her in my house.” Stiles felt powerful saying that.

Cora took a deep breath then started, staring at her water glass. “I, I never thought I was different, you know? I liked AJ Trauth and Justin Timberlake. I never thought this would happen. But I – I…” Stiles squeezed her hand. “I fell in love with Kira. I like girls too, I think. Maybe not as much as boys, maybe it’s just her but I love her, Derek. And she only loves me like a sister.” This caused her to start sobbing again.

Derek took immediate and swift action and pulled his little sister to his chest, gripping her so tightly she brought Stiles with her. “Cora it’s okay. It really is. You’re fine, nothing is wrong with you. With any of us, really.” Derek looked up at Stiles at this, moisture welling in his eyes. “Just because you’re in love with Kira doesn’t make me love you less, won’t make Laura love you less or Mom and Dad. Maybe Uncle Peter, but that’s good cos then he’ll leave us the fuck alone.” Cora’s laugh came out as a gurgle. “It’ll be okay.”

\---

They sat on the couch like that for a half-hour, Cora and Derek hugging and Stiles watching them hug. No one really talked after that until Stiles’ stomach rumbled and Cora eased off his hand. “Is pizza okay?” He asked and she shrugged. He made eye contact with Derek and though he looked a little stunned, he nodded. “I’ll go look up some specials if you would drive us to get it?” Derek nodded again.

Stiles took his time looking up specials online and talking with Rufus, his normal pizza dude, when placing his order. Rufus was sad he wasn’t delivering but mostly because he normally would screw around and play a hand or two of poker with him and whomever else was there when he dropped by. 

When he came back downstairs, Cora was on the phone on the back porch and Derek had picked up Stiles’ copy of _Fahrenheit 451_ and was skimming the pages. He looked up and met Stiles’ eyes when he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. 

“Derek?” Stiles said cautiously. Derek looked over, pensive. “Thank you for not freaking out about this. I know it’s better here than it is in some states and maybe you were expecting it because of all those questions you had yesterday? But you’re doing really well. You should be really proud of yourself. You can be a cool dude sometimes.”

Derek looked strangely mad but before he could get anything out, Cora came back in and thrust the phone at Stiles. “It’s Laura.” Stiles rolled his eyes and took the call.

“What.” Stiles deadpanned.

“Put me on Skype.” Laura sounded determined.

“Laura, I know you were going to go to that big party tonight, you can Skype with them when they go home later.” Stiles said, starting the trek up to his bedroom.

“No, I need to see the three most important people in my life healthy and alive. Please.” She sounded on the verge of begging.

Stiles sighed, “I’ve already got the computer and I’m going to go with Derek to pick up the pizzas. Cora can entertain you and then when we get back, ‘Mulan’.” It was Cora’s favorite movie and she would probably deny it later but it is totally what she watches when she is sad. “Hanging up now.”

\---

Stiles set up the computer and then he and Derek slid into the Camaro with the twenty dollar bill Stiles had pocketed and drove. Derek knew how to get there quickly and parked with ease. However, he walked in before Stiles and Stiles heard a “Whoa, you aren’t Stiles” from Rufus before he peeked in. 

“Hey dude.” Stiles forked over the bill and was handed two big boxes with one small one on top. Derek raised an eyebrow but picked them up. Stiles got his change and nodded. 

“Where is the remaining she-wolf?” The first time Rufus had ever delivered Laura had been blasting Shakira and experimenting with makeup on Cora so he had taken to calling them ‘his she-wolves’. Rufus was a weird dude. 

“Having a rough day.” Stiles replied. “What’s in the little box?”

“You sounded like you were having a bad day so I just added some cheese sticks to your order with a new coupon code.” Rufus shrugged. For all his weirdness, he liked Stiles and that was enough for him.

Stiles offered him a fist bump and they both laughed as their hands met. “See you soon, my brother.”

“Peace and love.” Rufus offered as Derek stalked back to the car. When he was out of the line of sight Rufus pointed at Derek’s car and gave Stiles two thumbs up.

Stiles rolled his eyes. Rufus was fucking weird.

\---

Pizza and ‘Mulan’ went over well. It wasn’t until Mrs. Hale called at 10 that all three realized that no one had told their parents where they were. Stiles assumed his dad had texted Mrs. Hale but that was probably five hours ago. Stiles’ phone was lost within the cushions of the couch and he had no need to check it.

“Cora, we have to go home.” Derek said after a quiet conversation that consisted of mostly grunts. Cora gave him puppy dog eyes. Derek lowered his voice, “We can tell them now and then have the night to drive back here or have Mom freak out at us tomorrow morning for both being over here and then tell them.” Cora looked away.

“Cora, it’s better to do it now. You have here. My dad will let you stay but you don’t know if you have to leave until you tell them.” Stiles had a feeling both Mr. and Mrs. Hale would be fine with it, but he didn’t want to give false hope. “Go get in the car please.”

Cora rolled her eyes and huffed off to the car, brushing past Derek. Derek was hovering in his doorway. “Can I help you?” Stiles asked plainly. The night had taken a lot out of him and he had forgotten to get soda with their pizza so he was close to crashing.

“What you did tonight…” Derek started, then looked at his shoes. He tapped his toes once, twice, three times then breathed in. “You didn’t just help Cora.”

“Well duh, this is your family, I know I’m helping everyone when I help her.” Stiles replied, watching the car light go off as Cora pulled the door shut.

Derek looked pained. “No, Stiles, it wasn’t just Cora who needed advice.” He gritted out and then looked back at the car. “Well…”

Stiles was a little flabbergasted. “Uh…” He said eloquently.

Derek rolled his eyes. “Bye.” 

Stiles watched until he couldn’t see the car anymore. He went back inside and fished his phone out. He had a missed call from Scott and the voicemail was heavy snoring so it was probably a butt dial, a call from Erica which had no voicemail, an email from the pizza place and four texts from Danny.

**Hey are you busy?**

**Stiles? Are you ignoring me?**

**Look I am really sorry about ditching you guys, it’s just been weird.**

**Whatever, text me when you feel like I’m good enough to talk to again.**

Stiles sighed and dragged himself up to bed. He took a quick shower – he knew he was tired because he didn’t feel the need to pull one off – and then brushed his teeth. 

Before he plugged his phone in for the night, he sent off a text to Danny.

_was busy with emergency. not ignoring you, sorry you think that I would be that petty._

He was asleep before his hair started to soak the pillow.


	9. Slow and Steady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles spends a non-injuring day with Derek watching Boyd and Erica.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This one is a lot shorter than the usual but I'm actually going to fall over. This probs means I'll be expanding closer to 18 chapters. Maybe I can make it in fifteen, maybe not.
> 
> Again, world building. Yay.
> 
> The positive response I had last chapter was BEAUTIFUL. I want all of you to know that you are each a special person who deserves unconditional love. Lots of love and light from me to you.

Stiles was a sleeper. He normally could sleep straight til one on a Saturday with his father playing Queen on full blast. This morning was different. Stiles cracked his eyes open to see his clock blaring a simple 8 at him. 

He turned over and pulled his comforter over his head. The sun hadn’t sunk into his room like it normally did so it was probably raining outside again, a perfect day to stay in bed until the last minute. 

However his bed felt wrong for some reason. He felt overheated and uncomfortable, like he was sleeping in a tar pit. After struggling with this strange heat for a few minutes he dumped himself out of bed, falling flat on the floor. 

His body was probably reacting to going to bed at 11 the night before instead of his usual 2 AM and therefore was retaliating. He sighed and pulled himself off of the floor, heading into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth with his normal nonchalance, peeing and considered taking one for the team before he heard his dad puttering around downstairs. Stiles went back to his room.

His phone taunted him from the other side of his room. Last night had been full of weird dreams about Derek on a horse, Cora cutting all of her hair off and calling herself Carl, and Danny chasing him around school with his whole clique and all of Stiles’ friends too, shouting about how Stiles was a weirdo, a fake. 

No calls had woken him up so he unlocked it. He had one text from Danny but he wasn’t really interested in what it said. He instead pulled up his and Cora’s texting thread and shot off a text. The Hales were always up early; a baseball tournament or an art show or even a hike. They were crazy.

_How did it go?_

He then flopped back on his bed and reached for his laptop only to remember he had left it downstairs, along with his book. His dad was probably going to go to sleep soon anyway and then Stiles could peruse downstairs by himself.

His phone beeped mere seconds later.

**I’m doing fine, Stiles. Thank you.**

Stiles snorted. Obviously Mrs. Hale was texting for Cora. He had never seen such a composed text from her in his life.

_Mrs. Hale, your daughter does excel at English but she does not text like that._

**lol Stiles u r so funny**

_No she doesn’t capitalize either, Mrs. Hale._

**It’s Derek.**

_You named your son after yourself?_

**No, Stiles, it’s Derek.**

_Oh. Oh, how are you guys?_ There was a pause in the texting, so Stiles went downstairs and made himself a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. He was halfway through watching the previous night’s ‘Colbert Report’ when his phone buzzed again, this time from an unknown number.

**Sorry, traded phones with Cora. We’re both okay.**

_just okay?_

There was another pause, so Stiles turned the show back on. He finished the cereal as his phone went off. 

**Cora is a lot happier but my parents just took her to the airport. She’s going to miss a couple days of school, go see Laura.**

This was interesting. _are they sending her to live there or…_

**No. I should have clarified, they’re fine with this. Better than fine. They just think that she needs to see Laura.**

_and you’re staying here?_

**Yeah.**

Stiles sighed. It would be weird, in his opinion, to send one sibling without the other. _why aren’t you going?_

When Derek didn’t answer after twenty minutes, Stiles turned off the television and opened a new message to Erica.

 _ice rink at 3?_ Since he hadn’t gotten a text from her, he figured she had gone with Scott and Allison. That might have been why Scott was calling.

 ** _yes please_** She responded quickly.

Stiles flipped back to his Derek thread. _do you wanna come make fun of Erica and Boyd with me at 3? We’re going to the ice rink if you wanna._

This text back took less time. **Are you sure?**

Stiles rolled his eyes at his phone. _yes. pick me up at 2:30._

**Not a pack mule.**

_Please?_

**Fine.**

_Thank you :3_

Maybe Derek wasn’t the worst person ever.

\---

Derek was prompt and since Stiles knew it probably would be easier to not explain to Scott about why he didn’t feel like talking to Kira, the two went by themselves. Stiles only belatedly realized that it might look like a date to anyone on the outside. However he did not care that much and was more entertained with Derek’s hands shaking on the wheel and the lazy conversation he was having with Danny over text. It was eighty percent apologies, twenty percent bitching about Jackson. Apparently Lydia and Jackson were having a fight, which is why Danny felt the need to hang around, and Jackson could not grasp why it made Lydia so mad that he was using some sort of skin product that she had bought for herself. Stiles texted back every ten minutes or so. He tried to be a kind and benevolent person but all of his quota for the week was focused on the Hale siblings.

“Who is texting you that much.” Derek growled out five minutes from the ice skating rink.

“Danny, he’s trying to interest me in a conversation about Jackson. If he knew the first thing about me he would know that I would rather eat my own eyeballs then listen to stories of Jackson being an idiot.” As soon as the words tumbled out of his mouth, he grimaced. “I’m sorry, I know he’s your friend. I didn’t mean to imply …”

Derek snorted. “Jackson and I aren’t really friends.”

Stiles rolled his eyes and then focused them on the shops they were passing on the way out of town. “Could have fooled me.” He said softly, not seeing the look of sadness flash across Derek’s face.

\---

Beacon Hills’ only ice skating rink was a lot cleaner than Stiles remembered. Perhaps it was because last time he was here he convinced Scott to lick the ice and then Scott had thrown up absolutely everywhere afterwards. That was the first time Isaac had hung out with them and also Stiles and Isaac’s first fight which had almost erupted into a fist fight.

Stiles may or may not have been banned from the ice rink for two years. Derek didn’t need to know.

It was a surprise when they were greeted not only by Erica but Boyd when they had finished putting their winter clothes on. Stiles had tucked his phone into its own little pocket in his winter jacket after telling Danny he was going ice skating and he’d text back afterwards. Derek never really changed into ‘summer’ clothing so his outfit was already ice ready – his letterman jacket, a Henley and dark blue jeans. Erica looked festive for the upcoming October in a green sweater and an orange beanie that all of her hair was tucked into. Boyd just looked normal.

“Hey Boyd, no work?” Stiles asked.

Boyd shrugged. “I opened this morning for all the hockey kids. I just finished my shift.”

“Ready to go?” Erica asked in a louder than usual voice, interrupting their chatter.

Stiles waved to her parents, who were subtly videotaping what was going on. On an actual camcorder. He worried about Erica sometimes but he figured if his daughter was going to try to ice skate for the first time since she was diagnosed with epilepsy, he’d record it too. “Yeah, let’s get to it.”

Stiles was not here to skate well. As Boyd, Erica and Derek headed towards the main rink, Stiles went to the practice corner. It looked like the normal gaggle of kids that skated here were at a meet because the warm up area was dead. Stiles took ten minutes to relearn the steps, how to push with the back of your leg and not just his ankles. When he was done, Derek was standing at the entrance. “What?”

Derek raised an eyebrow and then pointed his thumb over his shoulder. 

“Oh yeah, here to make fun of Boyd and Erica, not to actually try and skate.” Derek tapped his skate on the ice. “Yeah, yeah, buddy, I’m hustling. Sorry I’ve never gone on a date and therefore have no frame of reference about how to ice skate. I bet you’ve been here a lot.”

Katie. Paige. Jennifer. 

 

Derek shrugged and started walking towards the main rink. Stiles skated off and then hustled after him, only a few steps after Derek on the ice. Derek seemed like a natural out there, gliding with the skaters in the center as Stiles gripped the side guard. Derek saw and smirked.

If there weren’t parents around, Stiles would have shown Derek the two birds he happens to own. Boyd and Erica were opposite Stiles, holding hands and talking quietly as Erica’s hand drifted near the side guards. She was probably terrified of falling and having a seizure. Boyd just looked happy she was here. 

After a lap Derek joined Stiles at his place on the wall. He glared at Stiles for a few minutes before offering his arm. “No, no, no need to be a gentleman now.” Derek raised an eyebrow and veered in front of Stiles, skating backwards so he could watch Stiles’ new arm day workout. “What, go watch Boyd and Erica if you want a show; the Stiles train is taking a long route today.”

Derek snorted. Stiles was unsure if that meant his joke was funny or that he was stupid. Derek offered his hand again and Stiles sighed but took it. It was easier than hanging on the wall. If Derek dropped him, then the Hales would have to buy him a new phone. He had his eye on the new iPhone.

Derek did not drop him. Instead he guided Stiles around the rink, close enough to the guards to be safe but far enough that Stiles moved his own feet instead of pushing himself along. Stiles noticed things, like the banners on the walls indicating the people who trained for figure skating here, the smell of popcorn coming from the food area, the mindless pop music that was blaring over the speakers. Vintage Britney was telling him how he drove her crazy when the worst thing happened.

Stiles, in his infinite wisdom, had noticed that he was able to move faster. He felt a little silly going so slow and he wanted to show Derek he could speed up so he tried pushing off of the ice without warning. Naturally one foot caught the other and Stiles saw his life flash before his eyes as he tumbled forward.

Instead of landing face first on the ice, he landed face first on Derek’s chest. Derek’s firm, clean smelling chest, covered by that familiar jacket. Stiles took a second to absorb it all before realizing what damage he had done. “I’m so sorry!” Stiles cried up at Derek, looking him the eye. They were almost cheek to cheek. If they were on a date, this is the part where Stiles supposes they would kiss. “I’m so bad at this.”

Derek just looked at him. “It’s okay.”

This was supposed to be a spy mission for Boyd and Erica, but Stiles felt like he was the one about to kiss someone he shouldn’t. “Thank you for catching me.”

Stiles swore he saw Derek smile.

\---

When Derek dropped him off dinner was already simmering on the stove and he had twelve texts from Danny. On Saturdays his dad would make brown rice and warm beans and either of them could eat when they wanted. He changed clothes and made a plate for himself, then sat down to read the texts. Most of them were about that stupid Jackson fight and he almost didn’t finish them until he saw a picture of him lying on Derek attached. 

**Are you dating Derek?** was the final text.

Stiles wanted to text back no, but that made him unsure. Why would Derek even go ice skating if there were just three other people? Why would he catch Stiles’ fall?

_no just watching Erica and Boyd fall in love with each other with him. Needed a ride._

**Oh okay.** was the reply.

Stiles rolled his eyes and went to text Laura.

\---

Sunday was uneventful except for Derek adding him on snapchat. He did homework and skimmed texts and then went over to Scott’s and made cookies with his mom. Cora had texted him saying she was okay, that she loved him, that they’d Skype after school Monday. The both wanted to talk about beards apparently. Stiles was confused.

\---

Stiles had forgotten about the notes until Monday morning, when one went flying out of his locker.

_You are a Degas, both beautiful far away and up close. As are both the Hop and the Fall Fling. Watch out because I want to show you off like I’m the Louvre._

Stiles laughed and shoved the note into his pocket. People were weird.


	10. Ebb and Flow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and Danny sit down and talk. 
> 
> This causes the whole world to explode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Finally we get some conversation going!
> 
> Next chapter will be from Derek's POV (it'll make sense) and after that one, three left! (I hope so anyway, might be four). 
> 
> I will get around to the tags eventually. Sometimes people put you down, hurt you, and it affects the things you do for fun, for yourself by making nasty things happen in your head.
> 
> Lots of love and light from me to you all.

During the morning, Stiles worried about what he would say about Cora not being there. If she was just sick it would be fine, but Stiles had no idea how long she would be gone or if she was actually coming back. He hoped she would but seeing someone you loved with someone else…

Stiles imagined it was hard. 

By the time lunch rolled around Stiles had almost worked himself into having a panic attack. He was tapping random patterns on his thigh when someone sat in Cora’s seat. Thinking it was Danny, he turned to say something but instead found Derek Hale, in his letterman jacket, unpacking his lunch box. 

“Uh, hey.” Stiles managed to get out, his hand double-timing its pattern. Another person sat down and he looked over at Danny, who was giving him the side eye. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Derek went to unpacking his food. “How was ice skating?”

“It was, uh, good. I ripped my sweatshirt a little bit but it isn’t a big deal. Won’t kill me.” Stiles only noticed how fast his hand was moving when Derek grabbed it and forced it flat on his thigh. He looked down. “Erica is better at it.”

“True.” Erica commented from the end of the table.

“Where’s Cora?” Isaac asked through a mouthful of apple.

“She, uh, she, she uh,” Stiles stuttered out, turning to Derek.

“She went to see Laura in New York.” Derek answered coolly, taking a bite of his chicken sandwich. 

“Do you think she’ll be back in time for the dance?” Isaac asked. Stiles was surprised Isaac was engaging in a conversation with Derek but he wasn’t going to question it. 

Derek shrugged and squeezed Stiles’ wrist before letting it go. 

“So, uh, has everyone gotten their jerseys?” Stiles asked as he unwrapped his leftover burrito. 

“Yeah! I’m so excited…” Scott started off again. 

Danny’s eyes never left Stiles.

\---

During English the next morning, Danny slid into Cora’s normal seat. Stiles could feel Jackson glaring at him from across the room but he just focused on his journaling.

“Today, class, we are going to get into small groups with the people around you and discuss _Fahrenheit 451_.” Mrs. Kinder said and began to write ideas about the book on the board. 

Danny turned around and gave Stiles an evil eye, then turned to Jared and Harley, “You two talk about the book, I have to talk to Stiles about something.” The words came out kindly but the look that came with it brokered no arguments. Danny pulled his book out and then turned his desk, leg to leg with Stiles. “So, I thought you weren’t dating Derek.”

“I’m not!” Stiles cried out, then pulled his voice down to a normal register. “I’m not dating Derek. You don’t know everything about me, Danny, and I can’t tell you what happened this weekend.”

“Why not?” 

“Because it isn’t my story to tell. Not everything I do is for my benefit, okay? Sometimes people ask you for things and … and you have to help them. Derek and I used to be friends, his older sister used to babysit me. The three of them are like family to me.” Stiles fiddled with his book. 

“So you just fell on him?” Danny questioned. 

“Yes, I did, actually. You need to stop acting like this.” Stiles answered.

“Like what? Like an interested party?” Danny fired back.

“No, like you’re – like you’re my boyfriend or something. Sometimes – sometimes I think…” Stiles trailed off, looking at Jared and Harley. Their conversation looked normal, looked friendly.

“You think?”

“That you’re just a spy for Jackson. He took Derek away, why would you of all people decide to be friends with me when you were already friends with him without a motive?” His voice had tapered down to a whisper. He raised his hand. 

“Yes, Stiles?” Mrs. Kinder said from her place at the board.

“I’m not feeling well at all, may I go to the bathroom?” He asked. He was always well behaved in her class, always turned his work in. She waved him away.

He ended up in the library between the 501 Verbs and science fiction. He didn’t leave until the bell for lunch came and there was a pair of feet in front of him. Stiles looked up to see Danny. “Go away.”

Danny sat down. “You can’t sit here forever.” Stiles snorted. He’d damn well try. “I know Jackson isn’t your favorite person and I didn’t want to pry, I just wanted to know what I’m up against. Derek held your hand at lunch yesterday.”

“He was holding my wrist to anchor me. I was going to have a panic attack. Between Cora and this whole – thing,” he waved between him and Danny, “I was driving myself up the wall. I hadn’t said more than ten words to Derek in three years and then in three days it was like ... It was like we were kids again.” Stiles looked away, his eyes filled to the brim. “I guess I forgot its different now.”

“What was it like, when you guys were younger?” Danny leaned back on the shelf.

Stiles sighed and looked left, then right, then stuck his pinky out. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone about this, not even your digital diary.” Danny looked intrigued and locked their pinkies. “Okay, okay, so, back in the fourth grade, Jackson and I were best friends. You could go through pictures of him when he was younger and you will always, always, see a small piece of yours truly somewhere in the picture. One day he decided that I wasn’t good enough or something,” Stiles kicked at his own foot for a few seconds. “and then I was alone. Laura, Derek’s older sister, was babysitting me on date nights and when my mom would be out of town and my dad had night shifts. One day she brought Derek with her and he was thirteen with headgear and too much Axe. We were best friends from that day forward.

Then I went to middle school and Derek told me we could be secret friends, friends at home but not at school and I didn’t think about it. I mean, Jackson didn’t want to be my friend at all and I figured since I didn’t ever see Derek it wasn’t that bad. He’d each lunch with me every Tuesday and Thursday and it was like we were in my dining room. Then my mother died,” Stiles’ voice wavered and he took one, two, three deep breaths in, “and one day Derek was in my living room and the next he wasn’t. He didn’t bother coming around after he met Jackson for real, didn’t even know I was coming back to school, was going to sit by myself at lunch. That was the day I met Scott and he was sitting with Jackson and Katie Argent and I realized that to him, it didn’t matter if I existed.

So he stopped coming over with Laura, got in trouble because he snuck out without his parents’ permission and I was still close with Cora and Laura. Jackson started to torture me not soon after. For some reason both me and Scott were great targets.” Stiles looked at Danny. “Do you get it now? Get why you scare me?”

Danny nodded, dumbfounded.

They both skipped fourth period and sat quietly on the floor in the library. 

\---

Wednesday Stiles skipped lunch again, but this time he was in the nurse’s office, talking about his panic attacks so he could get a note for Finstock. Both Nurse Finley and Dr. James the librarian were in the office with him, corroborating the story. Stiles stared at the glass that faced the main hallway, watching the big clock on the opposite wall.

“Okay, Stiles, it looks like we’re all good to go!” Nurse Finley said, “I also wrote in the note to ask Coach to take it a little easy on you. Sometimes panic can keep you down for a while.” She smiled widely at him and Stiles attempted a smile back.

The bell rang. Stiles checked his phone but the number of texts overwhelmed him. He went back to class incredibly tense.

\---

Stiles had been beat up his fair share of times, so when Derek dragged him out of the gym towards the baseball field, he began to relax every part of his body. If he was going to get beaten, he was going to minimize the damage. 

Instead Derek sat him in the stands right behind home plate and began to pace. Stiles scrolled through his text messages, telling Scott he was okay and that he didn’t mind if Isaac asked Allison to go to the dance with them. By the time he was finished, Derek was sitting one bleacher below him, staring at him.

“I heard you in the library yesterday.” Were the first words out of Derek’s mouth. Stiles tensed and started figuring out his best exit strategy. “I’m not going to hurt you, Stiles. Any more than I already have. I’m – I’m really sorry.” Stiles grabbed a strap on his backpack. “I never realized what I’d done, exactly. To me it – it was just how things had to be and I guess in reality I just …” Derek trailed off, looking at Stiles’ feet.

“You just what? Realized that you no longer looked like an outcast from Planet Nerd and decided to finally rejoin your people?” Stiles huffed. He was going to miss his bus.

“No, I just never realized how stupid what I did was. When you lost your mom I just didn’t know what to do. You know me, I have all of that big family and I haven’t lost anyone yet. Your whole world was gone, your mom, and I had baseball and it was so much easier to just go to baseball and watch the younger kids play and laugh then sit at your house.”

“Thanks for confirming what I already knew.” Stiles knew it wasn’t easy to be friends with him. It is probably why he had such weird friends.

“I said it was easier, not that it was better. None of those kids really knew me besides Boyd, and he was only there because he was my school friend. You were my home friend that was at school. Those two weeks you were out I didn’t have to worry about you getting beaten up or pantsed…”

“Oh cry me a river, Derek, you never did anything about any of that, so why would you worry?” Stiles blew up, getting to his feet. Every single time he even looked at Derek he remembered the jeering, the toilets he’d been pushed into, everything that had just added on to middle school being the worst years of his life.

Derek bristled. “I….” He huffed. “Can I finish?”

“What, finish a rehash of everything I already know? I was too nerdy and needy for you to be my friend and now I have all of my own friends, Derek. They don’t care that my mom died. Scott did more for me by just bringing me over to his house and force feeding me string cheese on his first day knowing me then you did in the year we went to school together. Man, I thought the sun shined out your ass for such a long, long time,” Stiles bit out, “but when it came down to it, Derek, you not only ran away from me but made sure I knew that you didn’t really like me by hanging out with the original ditcher.”

Derek stood up. With Stiles a flight of bleachers higher, they were eye to eye. “It wasn’t like that!” Derek yelled.

“Well it sure looked like it. As soon as you knew you wouldn’t have to deal with me and my nagging you went and picked a group of friends that you knew I couldn’t stand. And Katie Agent of all people? Man you knew how to push my buttons.” Stiles exhaled and stamped his foo. “You still do. I could not believe you were taking her to the dance of all people. She was your Jackson for so long, except she publically humiliated you and you went to her anyway. Or did you forget, Bunnybraces?” Stiles spit out the old taunt with all the vitriol he could muster. 

Derek looked sizably impressed. “It wasn’t supposed to…”

“Supposed to? If things happened that were supposed to happen, I would still have my mom!” Stiles screamed. “I wouldn’t have had to deal with the heartbreak of losing a mother and a best friend because at least I would have had her. You have everyone, Derek. Even after all that crap you pulled you still have Laura and Cora. You had a team full of people at your back and I was left with my dad.” Stiles sighed and started to walk towards the exit. “I’m over this, over this conversation, over you thinking that you know me after all of this time. I surely didn’t know anything about you.” Stiles turned his back towards Derek.

“Stiles, Stiles don’t go.” Derek yelled. Stiles could hear him hopping the bleachers. This caused him to start running up the bleachers, two at a time, his legs still a little sore from the circuit training Coach had them doing in gym. “Stiles!”

“Go away, Derek!” Stiles screamed, tearing towards the main building. He was at a disadvantage because of the backpack, but he knew Derek would probably give up once they both left the stands.

Stiles was almost to the gravel lot when he went down face first into a patch of grass, a heavy weight on his back. “Let go, Derek.”

“Just listen to me.” Derek begged.

“No, I’m done listening to you. I know what you’re going to say, some lies about being sorry but if you had been sorry we wouldn’t be in this position.” Stiles’ phone started to ring. “I’ve gotta get that, please get off.” Derek rolled off of him and Stiles pulled out his phone, Cora flashing on the caller ID. “Hi, Cora.” Stiles answered with fake cheer. “How are you?”

“I’m okay.” She answered back. The background noise drowned her out so he couldn’t tell if she was sullen or being drowned out. “Do you know where Derek is? I’m flying home today and he isn’t answering his phone.”

Stiles thrust the phone at Derek, “Your sister,” As soon as Derek took the phone, Stiles stomped towards the front office. He could probably use the toll phone there to call his dad. Scott’s mom was working so it was probably going to be Deputy Graeme in a squad car, teasing him all the way home. He was grabbed by the straps of his backpack before he could get too far. Derek shook his head in warning.

“Okay, I won’t be late, I promise. I’m just going to give Stiles a ride home.” Pause for an answer. “Yes he’s fine. Uh huh, I’ll give him the phone back.” Derek thrust the phone back at Stiles and then started to drag him towards the car. 

“Cora, I think your brother is going to kill me.” Stiles gulped into the phone.

Cora laughed. “I hope not. I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”

“Fingers crossed.” Cora laughed and hung up on him. 

They were almost to the Camaro. “You seriously don’t need to drive me home. We probably both need to cool off, go our separate ways, enjoy our differences again. It was working so well last time.” Derek scoffed and pushed Stiles up against the back doors of his car, then opened the passenger side, waving Stiles in.

Stiles sighed and went. He knew better than to argue.


	11. Another Point of View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ride home from Derek's point of view. Can all of his mess ups finally be forgiven?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possibly the weirdest chapter I have ever written! I feel like a few things Derek has forgotten about, so they aren't mentioned. I had a hard time writing and I felt like maybe I made Derek a little OOC? Let me know.
> 
> So close to the end. Probably will end up at sixteen or seventeen chapters. Also I am starting to edit the tags so if I've missed something/you think I need to add one, let me know as well.
> 
> Lots of love to you all. Hope your weekend is fabulous. I check all of my kudos, bookmark/bookmark notes, and reply to comments with questions. You all meant he world to me.

Derek took a deep breath and flexed his hands before getting in the car with Stiles. He wasn’t anticipating this being so difficult. But then again, he thought to himself, when was anything with Stiles easy?

Derek opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat. He scanned the parking lot to check that no one was walking in his path, then turned the car and pulled out of the lot. 

He could feel Stiles vibrating from the seat next to him, his fingers tapping haphazardly on his cell phone screen. Derek had often wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t messed up once. Stiles had been his best friend and even though he loved Boyd, he couldn’t replace Stiles’ laugh or smile, his little stuffed pig that he sang songs to in the middle of the night, the way he could jiggle his eyeballs when he laughed. Stiles had always been special and Derek just wasn’t.

Derek wasn’t good with emotions, with talking and laughing and the like. He could do it with people he really trusted but in the end he was shy. He had learned how to fake laughs, fake smiles so that people thought he was there emotionally. No one had caught on.

It hadn’t been that way with Stiles though. Stiles had been through the hardest years of Derek’s life with him. Stiles knew the fake laughs, the bad moments. When Stiles had needed him, Derek had gone and ditched him for the one person Stiles could not stand. Derek had never been able to tell Stiles that it was Coach Wilde’s suggestion and that it was only because Jackson was good at baseball. Derek hadn’t been able to just sit calmly in Stiles’ house, watching his best friend’s life fall apart. He couldn’t fix it, didn’t know how to help and he lost himself in sports because that is what he did. He wasn’t unique or extraordinary. He worked hard and if you worked hard at sports, it paid off. The Jackson thing was just an accident. 

Derek knew it was impossible to explain that to someone like Stiles. While Derek held his emotions in like a bomb, Stiles wore them on his sleeve like a field of grenades. Some grenades were smaller than others, but Derek had to pick the biggest and the baddest. The worst part was that Derek couldn’t ignore Jackson because they were on the same team. Sure he sat at lunch with him and his girlfriend, Lydia, but after that day he didn’t laugh at any of his jokes. Jackson had turned out to be a particularly nasty brand of asshole and had told very telling stories of Stiles. Stories that best friends would know and keep close to their chest, only trusting close friends with them.

Derek had plenty of those stories about Stiles. Those stories didn’t need to be told to Lydia or Katie Argent or even Jennifer, whose eyes would glaze over when Jackson would start on a tirade. Apparently ten years of friendship can really give you a large amount of stories. Stiles still kept Derek’s, apparently. Bunnybraces. He hadn’t heard that one in years. 

Yet he didn’t hear it spat at him like a curse across the halls or screamed at him when he fell into a puddle of mud on a wet school day. _“Look, Stiles fell into a puddle of mud today,” Jackson’s voice supplies, “just like that stuffed pig he sleeps with. What a loser.”_ Snuffles the Silly Piggy was actually a fantastic pig to cuddle with. Derek knew.

Derek was pulled out of his stupor when the light on Main Street and Pine Parkway turned red. The intersection was notorious for the longest red lights out of school. He glanced over at Stiles, who was staring out of the passenger side window. He wanted to say something, anything, to make Stiles’ pain go away but he could feel a lump forming in his throat.

This was just like the time he tried to ask Stiles to the Valentine’s Day Dance in the eighth grade and had ended up asking Katie Argent. He had a hard time saying the words and so he was sitting in front of his locker mumbling over and over again, “Will you go to the dance with me?” and she had happened upon him and his handwritten card and had said yes. He would have never asked her in reality.

Maybe that’s what he should start with.

“You know I didn’t actually ask Katie Argent to the Valentine’s Day Dance in the eighth grade?” Stiles snorted, his attention still on the outside. “I didn’t! I was at school early, practicing asking someone else,” you “and she heard me and assumed I meant her. I just went along with it because I didn’t want to be teased anymore. She then planted the card in her locker and screamed once everyone got there.” It had been mortifying, especially because half of the card was inside jokes between him and Stiles. He had chased her down the eighth grade hallway into the seventh grade one to get it back.

It had been a rough day.

“Okay, Derek.” Stiles replied.

“I’m being serious! Do you really think I wanted to date her?” Derek asked, hands gripping the wheel. He had known for a while now that he had needed to apologize but he didn’t think he had done this much damage.

“You were the one holding hands with her! You had been my best friend and you didn’t hug me, ever, even when my mom died! It was a big deal.” Stiles’ voice had softened by the end of that sentence. 

“It was just the wrong place at the wrong time.” Derek knew raising his voice again would do nothing but irritate Stiles more. 

The light turned green. Derek drove on.

Stiles played with Derek’s radio for a few minutes, then turned it off. “Who were you going to ask?” Derek turned his head and raised an eyebrow. “To the Valentine’s Dance, who were you practicing asking?”

Derek felt his ears pink. “I was going to ask if you wanted to go, actually.”

Stiles scoffed. “Get out, Hale Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious.” He was. “You were my only real friend until I met Boyd and you loved to dance, maybe you still do, and I just wanted to see you happy. It’s probably why I was being a little weird. I didn’t know how to do it. I’d never asked anyone to go to a dance with me before.” He’d never wanted to go to a dance before. He hadn’t even gone to that one. 

“You seemed to have figured it out a year later.” Paige. Stiles was talking about Paige.

She had been so similar to Stiles. So fierce, funny, loyal to a fault. He had made it under her clothes once or twice before freshman year ended. When Derek had shipped off to be a CIT at sleep-away camp, she had killed herself. 

Derek still regretted not seeing all of the signs that had been there. She always wore long sleeves, her dad and her brother had passed away right before they got together. She never let him see her thighs or her arms in good lighting. She was self-deprecating to a fault and so was Stiles. Stiles more so because he was losing his mom; Paige did it because she was losing herself. Derek had been her anchor and without him around she had decided it was better to die than to live without him. He had loved her but sometimes he wondered if he had been in love with her.

“People change.” Derek said innocuously. 

“Believe me, I know that. Just like what you did to Camden. The Derek I thought I knew wouldn’t have done that.” Stiles spat back out. “The Derek I knew wouldn’t have done a lot of the things that you have. At least you stopped lying to your parents.”

Right where it hurt. “I didn’t do what you think I did to Camden.” At the end of last year, Jennifer had approached him. She couldn’t get Camden to understand that she wanted a break from him and that she was more interested in the junior captain of the lacrosse team, Kali. She needed an alibi and she had caught Derek checking Camden out casually enough to know that Derek was a little interested in Camden. Derek knew it was more of an adoration thing as opposed to a love thing between him and Camden, but the way he saw Camden treat Jen was nothing but spectacular. 

She, on the other hand, spent hours in the Hale’s bonus room talking about how she couldn’t handle the pressure, how she would not be able to stay with Camden much longer, screw basic training. He was like a hound dog and she her bone. When he had seen the sheer pain in her eyes, he had agreed to it. 

They locked themselves in a room at some party the night before Prom, Derek half-heartedly sucking a hickey into her neck. An hour later and Derek had a black eye and Camden Lahey was single. Derek became a beard for her and Kali’s on again, off again tumultuous relationship. He, too, was freaked out about his other best friend shipping out and his strange attraction to him. This had given Derek space from Camden to realize that though he envied their relationship, he didn’t actually want Camden or Jennifer.

His family had come to hate Jennifer. They saw her as a cheating mean girl who Derek had no business around. By the end of their ‘relationship’, Jennifer’s true colors had shone through. The stress she was under had bled through to her relationship with Derek. He hadn’t known about the insults towards his family and probably towards Cora’s friends. He ‘broke up’ with her because he didn’t want that negativity coming into his house. 

He also just hated being associated with her anymore. Boyd hated her and made it clear to Derek that though he refrained from commenting on life choices, this was one that could be a deal breaker. The whole student body saw him as a guy who was steamrolled by the class president into being her lap dog. 

Derek saw it as a way to figure out what his sexuality was. He watched a lot of LGBTQA stuff on the internet and TV, read a lot of manifestos and googled a lot. No one questioned why he and Jen talked so much or why they fought. He couldn’t come out if they were dating and she didn’t want to. By the end he felt so stifled by her reluctance to admit it that he had to break up with her.

All of Stiles’ talks and freely answered questions about being out had just made it so much easier for him to really get it. He wanted to kiss boys – he wanted to kiss Stiles – and maybe a few girls. Women were beautiful; men were handsome. He wanted to try his hand at something new. 

“She and I weren’t real.” Derek finally settled on.

“What do you mean, you weren’t serious? You dated for like, five months.” Stiles pointed out. 

“Three months and none of it was real. She wanted to get Camden off of her back and I … I needed some space from Camden.” Derek finished.

“Just like you needed some space from me.” Stiles shot back.

“No, Stiles, I didn’t need space from you. I didn’t know how to help! It drove me crazy. With Camden it was more like, I knew he was leaving and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“So you left first.”

“It wasn’t like that. By the end of the summer, he and I had made up. I’m going to tell you something,” Derek said as he took the turn into Stiles’ neighborhood, “and I want to you know, I’m not pulling your leg or whatever but you can’t tell anyone. I mean, Cora already knows and so does Boyd but this can’t get out.”

“Whatever.”

“I’m serious.” Derek got no response and he huffed. “Jennifer and I never dated because she was hooking up with Kali.”

“Kali, like captain of the lacrosse team Kali?” Stiles said, eyes wide.

“Yeah. We both used each other to figure out our sexuality. I had an attraction to Camden and I didn’t want to weird him out. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I spent so much time last summer reading about it. She and I talked all of the time about the scales, the ranges, everything. She doesn’t want to come out and I do. I can’t live in the shadow of my own self-doubt.”

“So when you said my advice helped everyone, you meant you too?” Stiles’ eyes glowed like Derek had told him a secret. “I helped you?”

“You did. You showed me that I was the only one making it difficult on myself to not admit everything about who I am. I had no idea Jennifer thought that our friendship meant she could insult my sisters. She puts herself under a lot of pressure but it doesn’t give her a right to lash out at people.” Stiles nodded. 

“You know I still kind of hate you, but if you want to talk about it ever, or need help coming out to your parents, let me know.”

“Stiles, I told them last weekend. Both of us did.” Derek rolled his eyes as he pulled up to the Stilinski house.

Stiles laughed a laugh full of nerves. “Oh okay. Uh, well, you can still call me if you want. Or text me. Whatever. If I don’t respond immediately well …” Stiles shrugged. “You know how nerdy I can be.”

I also know how beautiful you are, and will be. “That shouldn’t matter. I’ll see you tomorrow Stiles.”

Stiles crinkled his eyebrows. “No you won’t. You have a different schedule tomorrow.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t mean I won’t see you. I’m going to work on us having a friendship.”

“Are you now?” Stiles cackled. “Is it just an in-school friendship?”

“No, it’s an all day, any time friendship. No passes needed.” Derek said seriously. 

Stiles took a moment, then nodded. “Okay.” Stiles grabbed his backpack off of the floor and went to open the door.

“Stiles, I know this is none of my business but …” Stiles cocked his head, interested. “Are you still going to the Halloween Hop with Danny?”

Stiles pursed his lips in though. “I guess so? I mean, he’s been weird lately but I think it’s because Jackson and Lydia want him to date Ethan whatever instead of me. Not like he and I are dating.” Stiles blurted out. “But yeah, we’re going to the dance together. We aren’t matching though. That’s me and Cora.”

Of course, Derek thought. Stiles was more loyal to his friends than any potential suitor. “Okay. Just be careful with him, okay?”

Stiles rolled his eyes, “Okay, Dad. This isn’t my first rodeo. I went to the Valentine’s Dance with Scott himself last year and busted a move just fine. Platonic dates are still dates, dude.” Stiles hopped out of the car. “See you later.” Stiles said, throwing a wave over his shoulder.

“Bye.” Derek said, just loud enough for Stiles to hear. After Stiles had gone into his house, Derek sighed.

Well at least Stiles seemed to have forgiven him a little bit.


	12. A New Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a few new developments, will Stiles give Derek a chance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took forever. It's the end and I'm losing steam quickly with some stressors not on the internet. I love you all and I'm sorry this is getting dragged out! It looks like fifteen is our lucky number.
> 
> Lots of love from me!

October came in and for some reason this meant that they had homeroom. Erica had a paper football and they were playing when the announcements came on. 

“Hello student body, we are so excited to welcome in October. The freshman and sophomore boards are proud to announce that two weeks from Friday will be the Halloween Hop!” Jennifer’s voice sounded fake cheerful over the speaker. “Tickets are fifteen dollars and must be purchased by next Wednesday. Any persons without a ticket cannot enter the dance! A big thanks to the junior class for putting on this wonderful shindig. The Friday after is going to be the Fall Fling on Saturday, following our Homecoming game! The freshmen and sophomore boards invite you …”

“So you and Boyd are going to just the Hop, right?” Stiles asked over the din.

Erica shrugged. “I think so. He paid his junior dues and everything so we could go, but then there’s no one there that I know and besides Derek, Boyd doesn’t really have friends in the junior or senior class. Plus I’m not sure of their set up. I don’t want to take a risk.”

Stiles nodded. “Completely. But we have to go to that game, don’t we?”

Erica beamed. “You know it! I’m starting to actually like football.”

Stiles rolled his eyes.

\---

It was a normal lunch now that Cora was back. Everyone chattered mindlessly about the dance, their classes so far. Danny had stayed silent and was just staring at Stiles, picking him apart with his eyes.

“Stiles,” Danny said about ten minutes before the bell rang for lunch to be over, “will you go to the library with me? I need your opinion about something for class.” Danny wasn’t the greatest at English, so Stiles understood the need to bounce your ideas off of other people.

“Sure.” Stiles packed his lunchbox up and shoved it in his backpack. 

Their walk to the library was unusually quiet. Stiles was about to ask what Danny wanted when he was unceremoniously shoved into a closet.

“Well this is unexpected.” Stiles commented as Danny started him down like he was a piece of meat.

As Stiles opened his mouth, Danny leaned in and planet a kiss on him. He wasn’t expecting it – the tender press of lips against his own. Sadly it felt more like the time he kissed Erica then what he was expecting. Danny was gorgeous, tried his best to be nice and seemed to really like him. His expectations were not met. 

Stiles pulled back and Danny sighed. “That wasn’t very good. I don’t suppose you’d like to try again?”

Stiles shook his head. “What is this about, anyway?”

Danny sighed again. “I thought we could try to date, you know? You seemed really into the idea and then Jackson and freaking Derek Hale of all people come in the middle of us. Suddenly Ethan is all over me and Derek Hale is starting to act like he is in love with you. This kiss just disappointed me. I expected it to be…” He trailed off, looking at the wall.

“You expected it to be what?” Stiles asked softly. Danny seemed to be defeated based on this one little kiss.

“I expected it to be magic, not like I was kissing someone I didn’t like.” Danny said, kicking at the ground.

“I mean, we can still be friends?” Stiles said, trying to sound convincing. “We don’t have to go to the dance together, you know? And if we do, we can just go as friends. People do that all of the time. Laura went to prom with Camden as friends twice.” The second time had been because of Jennifer but Stiles wasn’t going to point that out.

“I was thinking maybe I’d say yes to Ethan. I mean, obviously I paid for my jersey and everything, and I’ll keep it, I just … I think I should get to know him. I’m not comfortable with him but it’s more of a bubbly feeling in my stomach than nerves, like he’d beat me up.”

“Then do it!” Stiles enthused, smacking him in the chest. “You don’t want to stick with me if I’m safe. Safe is for weenies.”

Danny smiled at him, a soft, sad smile. “And you’re not mad?”

Stiles shook his head. “Nah. As long as we stay friends that’s all I can ask for. We weren’t dating, you know?”

Danny smiled wider. “Thank you, Stiles, it does mean a lot. I have to be at both dances anyway. Save the last dance for me, alright?”

Stiles laughed. “I’ll try to hold them back.”

The bell rang.

\---

Derek was waiting for Stiles outside of gym. He pointed to both Scott and Stiles and then nodded. Stiles sighed and followed him, Scott scuffling behind him. Stiles wasn’t going to argue – the calisthenics they had done that day had left Scott breathless and Stiles sore. 

The walk to the car was silent, as was most of the drive home. Derek had only spoken to ask where Scott lived, and after the directions there was a dead silence in the car. Even Cora seemed to be on edge, for reasons that were unknown. 

They dropped Scott off first, which made no sense but with the mood Derek was in, Stiles didn’t want to get in his face about it. Scott waved and made the motion for ‘call me’. Stiles nodded. 

When they pulled up to Stiles’ house, Derek shut the car off. From the backseat Stiles tried to make eye contact, but Derek exited the car and pulled Stiles’ door open. Giving Derek the stink eye, Stiles brushed past him towards his front door. He heard Derek’s soft footsteps as he pulled out his keys. 

Once he got to the door, he turned. “Can I help you?” Derek scuffed his feet against the paved walk. “That’s not saying anything, Derek.”

“I heard that you aren’t going to the dance with Danny anymore.” Derek said softly.

“Yeah, so?” Stiles said, fiddling with the key to his house.

“So … Could I go with you?” Derek asked.

Stiles turned around and laughed in his face. “Are you serious?” He realized the tone that came out in as Derek turned on his heel. “Wait, Derek, you know I didn’t mean it in that tone. I meant it like, are you seriously asking me?”

Derek looked over his shoulder. “Yes.”

Stiles smiled. “I’ll think about it. I’ll let you know.”

Derek snorted. “Okay.” He said, his tone sort of unbelieving. 

“I will! Just give me until tomorrow at lunch, okay?” Stiles asked, hoping he could replicate Scott’s puppy dog eyes.

Derek’s shoulders slumped. “Okay.”

Derek waited until Stiles got into the house okay and shut the door.

Stiles put his backpack down and then picked up his phone. It took him fifteen seconds to call Scott and slide down the door. 

“Hey,” Scott’s voice came in clear over the phone “What’s up?”

“Derek asked if I wanted to go to the dance with him.” Stiles blurted out.

“The Fling or the Hop?” Scott posed a good question.

“Pretty sure he meant the Hop because somehow he found out that Danny and I are going as friends, or maybe not even going together. I just have no idea how he knew.”

“Prolly Erica.” Scott said.

“Derek and Erica don’t talk.” Stiles said, confused.

“No, you told Erica who probably told Boyd who then told Derek. I doubt Cora would say anything but you do have third period with Erica. That or someone in the locker room. Ooh, maybe Derek came in the locker room and heard us.” Scott said, his voice going up and down in excitement.

“I always forget that Boyd and Derek are so close since Boyd always sits with us.” Stiles took a deep breath out.

“I don’t think Derek likes sitting with the other people. I mean, Boyd didn’t either. Plus we’ve got Cora and she seems like whatever happened, she’s better.” Stiles had kept his mouth shut when Scott had asked what was wrong.

“She does seem better. I just .. I wasn’t expecting to get asked by Derek right after Danny kissed me.” Stiles said softly.

“Danny kissed you?” Scott screeched.

“Yeah and it was like kissing Erica. It was gross.” Stiles said, then reevaluated. “Well not gross but like I was kissing a friend, a friendly kiss. There weren’t sparks or whatever.”

“Dude I haven’t even kissed Kira and we’re like, Facebook official.” Scott was a weirdo.

“Because the one time she tried to kiss you, you ended up knocking her nose with your sideways chin. You could kiss her any day of the week if you really wanted to.”

“I guess.” Scott conceded. “So, do you want to kiss Derek?”

Stiles thought about it for a second. The answer had been yes when he was twelve, the answer was still yes at fifteen. For different reasons now but he still wanted to. “Yeah.”

“Then why not give Derek two weeks, go to the dance with him? See what he’ll pull out. You said when you called yesterday that you didn’t know all of the facts.”

“Derek said yesterday he wanted to take me to the Valetine’s Dance two years ago. Maybe I should give him a chance.”

“Just one though.” Scott clarified. “Just one chance. He’s had plenty but maybe this time he means it.”

“Okay.” That was smart. One chance when they’re teens? Just one. What if he didn’t give Derek one and ten years down the road he regretted it.

\---

After getting off the phone with Scott with a promise of playing COD later that night, Stiles texted Derek.

_Yes_

He then put the phone down to eat a snack. He was starving. Or anxious.


	13. Life as Taylor Swift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles has a day that feels like it belongs in a Taylor Swift song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long, I haven't been feeling so hot and have been working a lot. 
> 
> A quick q for all of those reading/don't constantly comment: sterek89 asked if I was going to do a sequel, I said I'd think about it. Would you guys like to see more of this universe? Let me know!
> 
> As always, lots of love and happiness to you all. Have a good week! We're almost at the end, we did it kids, etc, etc.

The next two days were as if Stiles had become someone else. Thursday morning Derek had picked both him and Scott up along with a bagel for Stiles. Which he then let Stiles eat in the car on the way to school. Thursday afternoon Derek drove them both home and asked Stiles if he was going to the football game that night.

“I guess? I mean it would be cool to support Boyd and all..” Stiles trailed off, glancing at Scott. Who had fallen asleep on the window.

“No, Stiles, like do you want to go to the game?” Derek emphasized his words. 

It made no sense. “Uh, sure?” Derek raised an eyebrow in the rear view mirror. “Sure.” Stiles clarified. The corners of Derek’s mouth quirked up before he concentrated back on the road. “Should we make another sign?”

\---

At lunch Derek took the seat to Stiles’ right and tugged his shirt down in the back. Isaac gave him the evil eyeball and Cora rolled her eyes but everyone else seemed to be fine with Derek eating with them. Stiles could see Danny eating outside with Ethan hanging on to his every word from across the table, Jackson and Lydia side by side in a profile view.

Derek put his hand at the small of Stiles’ back and kept it there for the rest of lunch. 

Weirdo.

\---

Stiles was lacing up his shoes when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He sighed when he saw it was a text from Derek.

**Coach needs me to do a little baseball conditioning this afternoon.**

So, the bus. _Okay._

“Scott, we’re riding the bus home.” Stiles heard his sigh. Scott really liked that car and probably also liked that he go to experience Stiles and Derek’s interactions by sitting in the car with them. 

“Okay.” They both got off the bench and hustled to the bus. As soon as Stiles slid in next to Scott, his phone buzzed again. 

**Can I come over before the game still?**

Stiles was unsure what made Derek think he was going to come over before this, but he was going to try this whole friends with Derek thing out, wasn’t he? Friends hung out.

_Uh sure. Just shower before you come over._

**Okay.**

“So, dude, are you actually going to the football game?” Scott needled. 

“Yeah, I thought Erica’s mom was going to pick me up but apparently after his conditioning he’s going to come over and drive me, I guess. What about you?” Stiles asked.

“Well Kira and I are going to a movie.” Scott said, his cheeks bright with color.

Stiles smacked him. “Dude, that’s so exciting. I know I’ve been kind of lost lately but you should have at least texted me ‘lol I’m going to try and kiss her’ yesterday or something.”

“Like you and Derek are going to later?” Scott said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Derek and I are not going to kiss later. He’s just coming over to hang out. Maybe I’ll play COD with him instead of you.”

Scott fake gasped, then smacked Stiles on the back. “Believe what you want to believe, buddy.”

\---

Between the time he got off the bus and the time Derek texted him, Stiles had done some research. He had texted Cora, who had replied that she was over at Erica’s helping her prepare for the game and Stiles would know that if he hadn’t been so focused on Derek trying to touch his butt during lunch today. Stiles had let her know that he was incredibly offended that Cora thought Derek was more important than her and that he had been staring down Ethan. Danny may have been a little weird over the past two weeks but Stiles didn’t want him hurt by some random senior.

Cora had shot back that she didn’t want him hurt by some random junior. Stiles replied back that it was her brother.

_**so u admit it???** _

Stiles sighed and decided to take a shower instead of dignifying that with a response. He and Derek were going to a dance together … and to the football game tonight … and probably something in between those two. That was only like, three dates maybe. Three friend dates.

This was Derek’s first real dip in the bisexual pool. Derek wouldn’t come on too strong or be really into Stiles, would he?

\---

Stiles had made sure he had gotten off the sweat of gym and the smell that had come from whatever Boyd had been eating and was now staring at the mirror. It was just a football game, they’d be in the middle of the crowd with people they both knew. As Stiles combed his hair, he figured Derek wouldn’t dare. They’d probably be sitting next to his sister. There was no way Stiles was sitting in the popular kids’ section. He’d rather streak.

He probably would streak if he had to prove that to Derek.

Stiles threw on boxers, a nicer pair of jeans and a white undershirt and went downstairs to check his phone. A new text from Derek from about five minutes ago.

**On my way over.**

Stiles eyed the door. It could be longer than five minutes, but Stiles felt like Derek was really excited to be here for some reason.

_sorry was in shower. see you soon._

This caused Stiles to have a momentary freak out and pour himself a glass of water. He then took his time drinking it over the sink, waiting for Derek to pull up. It was after checking his phone twice, finally replying to Cora with a question mark and starting to unpack his backpack that he heard a car door slam. This caused him to drop his Ancient Civ book on the floor. It made a loud slap as he scrambled to pick it up before Derek rang the doorbell. 

Derek knocked as soon as Stiles got to his feet. Stiles sighed and opened the door, his book in his left hand. “Hey, sorry, you caught me unpacking my bag. Come in.” Stiles stepped away from the door and took Derek in. He looked freshly showered and shaved, which was new for him. The scruff always aged Derek up to eighteen and sometimes Stiles forgot that he was closer to his own age than twenty. He too was wearing a fresh pair of jeans, a BHHS baseball shirt and his dumb letterman jacket. “You shaved.”

Derek’s ears turned pink. “Uh, yeah.” He stumbled out, looking around as if he should be embarrassed by shaving.

“Shoes.” Derek toed his shoes off, then looked at Stiles. “Do you want something to drink?” Derek nodded and Stiles, book in hand, went into the kitchen. He dropped his textbook next to the sink. It was already a little messed up, it could handle some water. “You can take your jacket off too, it isn’t like we’re going anywhere right now.” He heard Derek shrug his jacket off. “We have water, some Dr. Pepper, lemonade …”

“Do you have any juice?” Derek asked. Stiles peeked over the door, his eyebrow arched. “What, you really liked juice when we were younger and I could really go for some OJ.” Derek seemed almost defensive about it, his jacket squished to his chest.

“Uh, yeah, I can get you some orange juice. You can go sit on the couch.” Derek nodded and walked away. Stiles sighed and poured Derek a medium sized glass of OJ and followed him out.

Derek was sitting on his couch with the familiarity of someone who sat there often, not just twice in two weeks. Stiles shook his shoulders out with unexpressed anxiety and handed Derek his OJ. “So, do you want to watch TV or a movie or what?”

Derek shrugged. “Do you still have Star Wars?”

Stiles wanted to laugh. Of course he still had Star Wars, he wasn’t a heathen. “Yeah, on Blu-Ray and everything. Why?”

“I haven’t watched them in a while. Not since …” Derek trailed off and took a sip of his OJ. 

Me either, Stiles wanted to say. Instead he nodded. “Let me guess, you want to watch Empire?” The Empire Strikes Back had been Derek’s favorite when they were younger.

“No, lets watch Return of the Jedi.” His eyes almost seemed to imply ‘that’s your favorite’ but Stiles wasn’t an expert on Derek’s facial expressions. It was, however, Stiles’ favorite and the only one that Scott had seen.

Stiles nodded and put it in.

\---

About halfway through the movie Stiles felt Derek’s arm come over his shoulders. The house was a little cold, Stiles could admit, and his hair was still a little wet. 

As the Ewoks danced, Derek squeezed Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles’ favorite part was the end when they all danced around and were happy, their mentors looking at them. Stiles turned to look at Derek and start up their old ‘are they going to make more movies’ debate but suddenly other lips were on his.

This wasn’t like Danny or Erica. Danny had felt very European, like a hello, goodbye kiss. Erica had been what kissing a sister must feel like. Derek felt … different. Derek felt warm and smelled good and tasted like peppermint and orange juice. He wasn’t a weird weight, just a happy one. His arm felt good as a headrest, his hand firm on Stiles’ shoulder. 

Surprisingly Derek was the one to break off the kiss, looking at Stiles like he was a puzzle Derek was trying desperately wanted to figure out.

And then it clicked. This was a date. He was on a date with Derek, who wanted to kiss him and watch Star Wars with him and genuinely be with him. Who had apologized and explained and had put his hand on the small of Stiles’ back throughout lunch. Stiles just thought his shirt was riding up. 

It was Derek wanting to touch him.

Stiles smiled at Derek, who smiled back. It had been forever since Stiles had seen that smile. As Derek came back in, Stiles put his hand on Derek’s shoulders. “What time is it?”

Derek’s eyebrows pushed together but he looked at his watch. “Almost six. Why?”

“My dad will be home and though we’re both cool with you being over I don’t think this is something he’s going to want to walk in on.”

Derek’s eyes widened and he nodded, then pulled at Stiles’ hand. “Lets go then.”

“Go where?” Stiles asked as he followed. 

“Get something to eat before the game.” Derek said.

“Let me go change my shirt.” Derek nodded and went to start the car.

\---

Eating quickly at Stiles’ favorite diner, they arrived thirty minutes early and waited in the car for Erica and Cora to show up . “So, we’re a thing now. A real thing.” Stiles said to Derek.

Derek gripped his hand tight. “Actions speak louder than words, right?” He said, arching an eyebrow. Stiles rolled his eyes at the words he’d said years ago. Derek leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Stiles’ lips. 

As he pulled away, Stiles laughed. “I got it.”

Derek grinned. 

\---

They won the game. Apparently Mrs. Reyes had agreed to let Cora sleep over and both Cora and Erica seemed excited about the prospect of staying up all night and talking about nothing. Stiles had a sneaking suspicion that Cora was going to tell Erica about Kira. Cora was nothing if easy to read and she obviously wanted someone to talk to about it. They waved the boys goodbye as they got into the Reyes’ van.

This left Derek and Stiles in the Camaro. Curfew was eleven on weekends and his dad wasn’t home tonight, meaning it wasn’t really a curfew.

Derek bought him a milkshake and they sat in the tight backseat of Derek’s car, eating them and listening to a podcast Derek had on his phone. Stiles was so into it that he didn’t notice Derek leaning over until his own milkshake was plucked from his hands. “What?”

Derek shook his head and leaned in again. He tasted of strawberries and faintly of the hot dog he had eaten at the game. Erica complained about how she couldn’t eat them and they all whistled at Isaac when he got up from the popular section to talk to them, a bruise high on his neck.

It seemed Derek had similar ideas to Allison as he made his way down Stiles’ neck. “D-d-derek.” Derek looked up curiously, “not where my dad could see.” Derek grinned and pulled Stiles’ shirt down to his collarbone, then wiggled his eyebrows.

\---

By the time he was home, it was eleven and he had Derek's letterman jacket buttoned all the way up. After he had stared in the mirror a bunch, eaten some chips and logged on to his laptop, a call came in from Cora. He accepted it and both Erica and Cora’s faces were jammed together in the call screen.

“So?” Cora asked, dragging the last syllable out.

Stiles just pulled down his shirt collar. They both screamed. He then pointed to the jacket he still had on his shoulders. They both laughed and shook their heads.


	14. Question/Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the dance happens, Stiles has a question for Derek that he needs answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you guys. I'm sorry this took so long and is so short. I'm trying to set up the dance as the only major plot point next chapter and then the sequel. I probably could have combined this and the next chapter into one but I said fifteen so that's what is up.
> 
> I am planning on a sequel, which will hopefully be written in a more orderly pace. I have been super sick and running around like a crazy person at work. Please forgive me! I should be finished by the end of this week.
> 
> Lots of love to you all.

Saturday morning, he slept in until his body felt overheated and his feet itched with the need to move. He checked his phone and was surprised to see three new texts from Derek. He scanned them – a good morning text, an explanation of what he was doing today and a picture of Cora asleep on a rock in the Preserve – and went to the bathroom. 

He hadn’t bothered to sleep in a shirt and the bruise on his collarbone had transformed from a dark red mark to a brilliant, deep purple with a mole kissing each side. After a good pee and a quick brush of his teeth, he leaned his head out of the bathroom door to listen for signs of life from his father. 

There wasn’t any clunking around or snoring, so his father was probably still in bed, dead to the world. This meant Stiles took the stairs two at a time to check if there were any leftovers from the inevitable early morning iHop run his dad and some deputy made after their shift. No reason to put on a shirt to cover a hickey if your dad was still asleep.

Stiles both hoped and dreaded the sight of extra bacon in the to-go box.

Instead of a box, his father was leaning over the sink, eating hash browns out of the box. Stiles’ eyes were as wide as saucers. “Morning, kid.” Stiles turned quickly to get into the fridge, hoping his dad didn’t see the bruise. “Looks like your night with Derek went well then.”

Stiles sometimes hated that his father was so smart. “I’m sorry, I’ll cover up.” He turned around, back up the stairs to get a shirt.

“Stiles,” his father called after him. Stiles turned around. “I know you and Derek didn’t break curfew, I saw him driving past the station at five after. However, he still is older than you.”

“Dad,” Stiles sighed. “Derek is only eighteen months older than me. Technically, right now, he’s only sixteen, only a year before. He’ll be seventeen in December.”

“Just don’t let him pressure you, okay? It was Parrish that pulled him and that poor girl over in the Preserve. I remember reading that report…” His dad sighed.

“I’ll be fine, Dad.” Stiles shook his head. He probably

\---

The rest of the day was spent rereading material for his Ancient Civ test, tracking the jerseys over UPS and texting Scott. Scott was keeping his texts very short and Stiles hoped it was because Abuela was over and she hated cell phones rather than something worse like, depression.

Depression because Kira had rejected his kisses.

Depression from rejection because Kira is secretly ace and didn’t have the heart to tell Scott.

Depression because Kira had told Scott he was a bad kisser.

Stiles spent most of his reviewing of the War of the Roses thinking about poor Scott and waiting for Laura to get on Skype. Derek and his family had decided to make a day of being together for once and were now roasting marshmallows in their back yard.

Stiles wanted to go to there. In fact, once Laura picked up the first words out of his mouth were, “I wish I was at your house.”

“Why?” Laura said, reclining back on her bed. 

“Your family is making smores.” Stiles responded, checking his phone.

“Those rat bastards.” Laura replied vehemently. “I love doing that shit and they do it when I’m all the way across the country? Inconceivable.” She reached for her phone and Stiles mentally fist pumped. He had managed to distract her from – “So, show me your hickey.”

\---

Stiles managed to get another nine hours of sleep in Saturday night. By the time he woke up Scott was already on his couch, eating Lucky Charms from a Batman mug. 

Stiles sat down next to him and took the spoon from his hand. “Why you over here so early?” He asked around a mouthful of marshmallows.

“Abuela made a surprise visit and she just left, and Mom knew I wanted to talk to you so she let me come over.” Scott said, bouncing in his seat.

“And?” Stiles continued, trying to scoop the pot of gold out of the milk.

“And, Kira and I totally kissed at the movies! It was so great, Stiles. She’s so great.”

“Was the movie great?” Stiles added.

“I, uh, I don’t remember?” Scott blushed. “I think so. At least that’s what I’ll tell people. Excellent, would see again. What about you?”

Stiles looked at Scott, eyebrow raised. “What about me?”

“How did your date with Derek go? Don’t even deny that it wasn’t a date, Erica texted me about how you were wearing his jacket and pretty much sitting on his lap. I even have a picture.” Scott went for his phone but Stiles smacked at his hands.

“It was a good date. I have his jacket and, uh,” Stiles pulled the collar of his shirt away from his neck to expose the dark bruise, “this too.”

Scott whistled. “Man and I was the one who was sure that he was going on a date. I got nothing like that on my skin.”

“Well you should see Isaac’s.” Stiles went for his phone as Scott cackled.

\---

The next week of school passed by in a breeze. Nothing really changed except Cora moving to the seat to Stiles’ right to talk more to Erica. Kira seemed troubled about it but Danny moved to the end of the table so she instead made small talk with him about the Fall Fling. The décor was apparently going to be a classic black and silver, the theme something like the juniors and seniors were supposed to dress up in bright colors to be the fall flower crowns?

Stiles didn’t really care that much, seeing as they weren’t going.

Tuesday the jerseys came in and during lunch Stiles lugged the box in from Derek’s car (Derek laughed at him the whole way) and handed them out each person. When he reached the bottom there was an extra jersey marked ‘Bombay’. “Why is this in here?” He said to Cora.

Before he could get a response, Derek took it from him. “It’s mine.” He said, crushing it to his chest. 

“Yeah, he wanted to go and so we talked about it and I called the jersey makers, explained what was going on and I sent them twenty bucks and here we are. We all match now.” Cora said, hugging her own jersey to her body. They looked happy to have them. 

“Well it is exciting to say the least.” Scott added in. “It would have looked weird to have gone without a Bombay.”

Derek smiled at Scott after that comment.

\---

Friday came, and Derek had gotten the okay to drive two towns over to go to the big game. Stiles sat in the front seat, Cora, Scott and Kira laughing in the back. Stiles kept looking back, checking on Cora. She seemed to be perfectly happy back there but Stiles wasn’t so sure. He only stopped his apparently not so casual glances when Derek covered Stiles’ hand with his own and squeezed.

 

\---

The game was nothing special. The other team was close to tying around the third quarter, but by the fourth Beacon Hills was two touchdowns up and they had to leave if they wanted to make it home on time. 

They made it home in great time and it was only ten when Derek was dropping Cora and Kira off. Mr. Yukimura was standing in their driveway and staring through the car window at Scott. Scott, who was fidgeting in his seat. “I’m going to get out.” Scott said after thirty seconds of staring.

“How are you going to get home?” Stiles asked as Scott opened the door.

“I have a feeling Mr. Yukimura will drive me.” Scott said, closing the door and waving at Stiles and Derek before setting his shoulders and walking up the front steps.

“I cannot believe that is the kid that you replaced me with.” Derek said. 

“I would say the same thing about Boyd but Boyd could kill me, so…” Stiles trailed off, watching Scott shake Mr. Yukimura’s hand and enter his house.

“Wanna go back to your house?” Derek asked, car humming. Stiles nodded.

The drive back itself was quiet, the whisper of some band Stiles didn’t know coming from the speakers of Derek’s car. Stiles wanted to be as excited as he was last week in this exact same scenario, but the words of his father kept coming up, “ _I remember reading that report … that report … that report …_ ”.

“Stiles. Stiles. Stiles? Stiles, are you okay?” Was what cut Stiles out of the endless loop of his father’s voice.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just was thinking about something my dad said. We should talk about it, actually.” Derek screwed up his face in confusion but followed Stiles inside anyway.

Stiles unlocked the house, toed off his shoes and sat down on the couch. Derek shut the door, took his time taking his shoes off. Stiles doesn’t think someone who wants to just mess with someone checks to make sure the door locks behind him, pushes the shoes to the side so no one trips on them. Derek isn’t a bad guy, just a regular one who has had some bad things happen to him.

Derek has stretched himself along the couch and has pulled Stiles into his chest by the time Stiles thinks of what to say. “So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Just know you don’t have to talk about it but … what did happen out in the Preserve that time with Paige? My dad, he was talking about how he read the report on what happened and he made it sound …” Made it sound bad, is what the rest of the sentence was supposed to be.

Derek sighed. “It wasn’t bad, Stiles, it was just probably a little weird. We got pulled in because we had … been intimate and then fallen asleep like that and apparently Deputy Parrish thought that I had been raping her, even though any sex under eighteen is non-consensual, even if both parties are underage. I learned a lot from that. It was the only time we ever had sex.”

“Only time?” Stiles squeaked out.

“Yeah, Stiles, only time. Only time I’ve ever had sex, actually, and it was kind of … bad. She wasn’t aroused enough and she bled, which is probably why Deputy Parrish thought I was forcing her. We didn’t even finish, I had stopped after I had seen the blood and for some reason we both just passed out like that.” Derek chuckled. “I had just turned fifteen and I thought I was so cool. I always felt so behind in stuff like that and after that story got out, I felt even worse. Not a great story to tell future partners.”

“Well did you learn from it?” Stiles asked earnestly. Derek pressed his eyebrows together in thought, then nodded. “Then it was worth it. I hope you don’t make me bleed.” Stiles realized what he said. “Not like we’re having sex or have to or whatever, I just …” Stiles started to scoot away.

Derek reeled him back in and hugged him tight to his chest. “No, I get it. I’m kind of glad I learned from it. It made me who I am.” Derek kissed Stiles’ forehead. “It led me here. We should talk about the past. She ... she died, but she was still a person.”

They sat on the couch tangled in each other until curfew.

 

\---

Monday was boring. The only highlight was getting sent out early from gym to vote for Homecoming Prince and Princess for the freshman class. Stiles had nominated Kira, though he was sure Lydia would win. Kira was class president but Lydia was more princess like, more dominant in that sort of category. Someone to see and be seen, someone who did things but not a leader. Just a person.

After turning in his vote, he and Erica broke free and sat on the grass in between buildings again. “You excited for the dance?” Erica asked as she wove pieces of grass together.

Stiles shrugged. “I just hope nothing too crazy happens.”

Erica looked up. “Me too.”


	15. Dancin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hop has finally arrived and everything seems to be going better than usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT IS OVER. Well this story is. I really appreciate every single one of you that has been reading along with me! I will be writing a continuation of this, a second one, but I'm going to take a break.
> 
> I am so sorry this last took so long! I've been so sick that I've been going to the doctor, changing my diet. This actually took me two full days to write because I've been so exhausted.
> 
> I love each and every one of you. Please leave a comment if it's your first time reading this or coming back to it. The whole reason I finished is you all's input, your focus, your love for this story.

Wednesday brought in a sort of nervous energy that Stiles was unprepared for. He woke up with a tap in his foot that he couldn’t get rid of. It followed him through his first two periods, the first half of third period and through half of lunch.

Derek had clamped down on his knee midway through a bite of a turkey burger. Derek has leaned in close, his mouth close to Stiles’ right ear as the warmth of his breath falls down his neck. “Are you alright?”

Stiles took a breath in and looked Derek in the eye. “Yeah. I’m just nervous. I don’t know why but I am.”

Derek shook his knee then squeezed it. “S’okay.”

Derek kept his hand on Stiles’ knee for the rest of the night.

\---

Thursday wasn’t any better than Wednesday. The upsides were that his jersey came in from getting dry cleaned and he admired it as he doodled on his math homework. Geometry was surprisingly easy, even for honors level. He often found himself day dreaming during it, probably because it had lunch in the middle of it and English normally drained all of his attention anyway.

His phone buzzed. A text from Derek.

**You ready for tomorrow?**

_Yeah, I guess so. It should be a fun dance._

**Who do you think is going to be Freshman Princess?**

Stiles pursed his lips. He had never thought Derek of all people would be interested in this. _Idk, probably Kira, Lydia, maybe Allison or Cora. Why?_

**Just asking since you’re now one of the popular kids.**

_Am not._ Stiles immediately felt childish sending that, but it was already gone.

**Are too.** Apparently Derek was feeling it.

_Am not! I just know people. We all know that Jackson and Lydia are the king and queen._

**I think you could be the king if you wanted it. You are a really good friend.**

_I have maybe eight friends, Derek. Of course I’m a good one, can’t afford to lose anybody._

Derek changed the subject after that, and Stiles reclined back in his chair, dividing his time between texting Derek and looking at his jersey.

\---

Friday it seemed like the energy Stiles had started up had reverberated into everybody else. Scott was more smiley than Stiles had ever seen him, Cora was cracking her sly jokes again at lunch, Danny argued with Kira over dance decorations, and Erica and Boyd smiled at each other over the lunch table and played footsie during the boring parts.

Even Derek seemed excited, his letterman jacket traded in for a leather one that Stiles thought was very becoming on him. It made him seem older than he was. Kind of like a T-Bird in Grease. Stiles wondered if Derek could sing. He refused to when they were younger because it tore up the inside of his lips. Now that Derek was older and had ditched the mouth gear, he didn’t hold that excuse anymore.

“I like your jacket.” Stiles whispered to Derek during lunch.

Derek’s mouth curved up into a smile. “Thanks. I saved for it all summer.” He tugged it a little closer to his body as if he was reminding himself that he still had it. “Too bad we didn’t go as the gangs from Grease.”

“Nobody fits the role of Sandy in our group though. Frenchie is obviously Kira, though without the stupid part. She’s just so nice and friendly. Then I mean, Erica and Cora could both be Rizzo.”

“Nah, Erica is Sandy.” Derek said, and when Stiles raised his brows, he sighed. “She really likes this guy and is worried she should change himself for her, but he’s changing himself too. Cora’s just bitter for right now.”

“For good reason.” Stiles replied. Derek shrugged his shoulders. “Well, who does that make me?”

“Dunno, but definitely not Putzie. That’s Scott.”

Stiles snorted. “Well, who are you then? Danny?”

“No, Boyd is Danny.” The ‘duh, idiot’ was heavily implied. “I’m obviously Kenicke. You know what they say, a hickey from Kenicke …” Derek wiggled his eyebrows.

“That would mean you’re dating your sister!” Stiles crowed a tad too loud, and when the whole table stops what they’re doing to stare at Stiles, his giggles beyond hysterical.

 

\---

Once again, Mrs. McCall had volunteered her house for the getting ready part of the evening. The girls had argued for two separate venues, but in the end one won out because they could pack the van and the Camaro and get there quickly. Plus they were all wearing the same thing to a degree. The costumes weren’t surprises. 

Danny had decided to go with them instead of Jackson and Lydia. He matched their costumes and Stiles was pretty sure that Lydia and Jackson were going as Persephone and Hades, so Danny would look way out of place in their pictures.

However, this meant that Derek had basically pulled Stiles into his lap after Stiles had changed and flicked his eyes between Danny and the screen the whole time they watched the original ‘Mighty Ducks’. When Scott went to get popcorn before they started the second one, Stiles tried to slide over towards the center of the couch. Derek’s grip got tighter.

“Dude, let go. I’m not going anywhere.” 

Derek frowned, flicked his eyes up at Danny, back to Stiles, sighed and let Stiles squirm into the comfortable middle seat. After his butt was on a nice, firm, unbumpy couch cushion, he flopped back onto Derek’s shoulder.

\---

Around six they ordered pizza and all sat around the TV munching. Erica had eaten a small meal before the girls started getting ready and then another one around five before Cora put lip stuff on her. All three of the girls looked gorgeous, the early nineties styling Cora had been going for apparently working. Erica’s hair was as straight as a pin and framed her face nicely, Kira’s hair was in some sort of double bun and Cora had only added two black lines under her eyes to signify her costume.

He watched Cora gobble down three pieces in a row and he whistled. She flicked him off and it managed to get a real belly laugh out of Derek, something Stiles hadn’t heard in a while. This set off another set of laughs, which led to tickling.

\---

By the time seven fifteen rolled around, they were all ready to go. The dance started at seven thirty and they were organized by who was going where. Stiles was obviously in the Camaro, Scott in the van with his mom and Kira. Isaac still wasn’t super comfortable with Derek and the fact that he was on a date with Allison made him more uncomfortable, so he was in the van. With Scott and Kira in the van, Cora wanted to be with Derek, but Derek wanted Boyd and Erica in the Camaro too. That left Danny in the van with people that he was friends with but who were also couples on dates. Danny didn’t really like Isaac and vice versa. Probably why Stiles liked Danny so much.

As soon as the shuffling in the back seat stopped, Derek took off like a shot towards the school. Mrs. McCall honked at him but Derek beamed over at Stiles, his leather jacket over his jersey. Stiles smiled back, his jersey underneath Derek’s letterman jacket. Stiles felt a little wild, like a cheesy nineties movie that involved bad choices and misunderstandings. 

\---

Sadly, the dance did not feel like a nineties movie. Isaac bolted for Allison as soon as the van went into park. Boyd and Erica disappeared after their group pictures. Stiles thought that was mostly because Matt was taking the pictures, but he also knew they didn’t get alone time. The junior board had clearly done the bare minimum for the underclassmen. No one even tried to spike the punch.

Derek wasn’t much of a dancer, but he didn’t seem to want Stiles to dance with anyone else. Danny had headed by their table after about a half hour of talking to Jackson and Stiles’ head spun from being pulled out of his chair so quickly. Before he could even ask what was going on, he was being slow danced with.

“Derek,” he deadpanned, “I’m happy you’ve decided to enjoy dancing, but I don’t think our song should be ‘Boyfriend’ by Justin Bieber. Also, I don’t think you can slow dance to this song.”

Derek frowned. Before he could break away from their current position, the song changed. “This one goes out to the one couple who was so fed up with fast songs they tried to slow dance to the last one! This is a classic.” Unchained Melody faded in over the speakers.

Stiles blushed as Derek started pushing them across the dance floor.

“Is this more to your taste, Stiles?” Derek chuckled into his ear. 

“Bite me, Derek.” Stiles said without any venom. At least it wasn’t Justin fucking Bieber. That would be a bitch to explain to any wedding DJ. 

Not like they were going to get married but …

Derek’s breath on his neck snapped Stiles back to the moment. “Don’t tempt me.” Derek seemed really into hickeys. His comments from earlier combined with his face being extremely close to Stiles’ neck seemed to indicate that he would be interested in putting more on him.

Sadly, Coach intercepted Derek’s pass. “Derek, stop attempting to put the moves on Stilinski here. This is the middle of the underclassmen dance, for Christ’s sakes. At least wait til the Fall Fling where the chaperones actually don’t care.” Coach stared at them until Derek was almost at arm’s length. “Good. I’ll see you both next week, hopefully. No more shenanigans in the gym. Take it outside.”

After Coach walked away, Stiles burst into a fit of giggles. This would happen to them on their second real date. Even Derek let out a chuckle to signal he was amused.

\---

The group stole out of the dance around ten. It wasn’t over until eleven but Mrs. Reyes wanted Erica home before ten thirty and Boyd had to take over watching the house so his dad could go on night shift. Isaac bummed a ride off of Allison’s dad and Danny went with Jackson so Erica went to the van and Boyd stayed in the Camaro. Derek dropped Boyd off first, then Cora, then they drove back to Stiles’.

Stiles acquired three hickeys and the promise of a date the next day.

\---  
The weekend flew by. Stiles managed to hide his hickeys from his father before slipping out of the front door while his dad began to snore in his chair.

Boyd was marginally annoyed with seeing them, but played that damn Justin Bieber song while Derek pulled Stiles behind him on the ice.

Sunday involved a lot of texting Derek and writing a bullshit outline for English class. They ended up at Stiles’ dining room table, his dad drinking coffee as Stiles blurted out random ideas for his paper as Derek tried to do his pre-calculus worksheet. It was nice to hang out with Derek without feeling any pressure to do anything. Stiles didn’t like being alone and even though his dad was still in the house, he was letting them be.

\---

They ended up back in Homeroom on Monday morning for the final voting for homecoming court. Stiles and Erica had already set up their football field when a person dropped in the seat behind Stiles.

No one ever sat near Stiles or Erica after the first week when they had managed to hit people with their paper footballs.

“Hi, I’m Malia.” She said very loudly into Stiles’ ear. He rocked back a little, examining her. She looked to be about Erica’s age, which meant six months younger than Stiles. She was pretty in a relatable way. 

“Stiles.” He waved awkwardly. “Erica.” Her wave was equally as awkward.

“Good morning, BHHS! This is Jennifer and I’m hoping that you are having a lovely morning.” Stiles rolled his eyes and Erica laughed. “First things first, I have our nominees for Homecoming King …” Stiles rolled his eyes and flicked the football at Erica, who flicked it back. They had a good game going until Stiles’ attention got drawn away, “and our final nominee is Derek Hale.”

Stiles looked at the speaker confused as the football flew towards his head. As he turned back to talk to Erica, a hand snapped into his line of vision.

Malia was leaning over her desk, her hand grasping their football tight in her grasp. 

She smiled awkwardly at Stiles as she dropped it on his desk. “Uh, thanks.” He said as he pulled out his phone to text Derek about his junior prince status and about this new girl. She was interesting.


End file.
